A silver-gilt tea caddy engraved with the coat of arms of George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington, attributed to Isaac Liger (fl 1706-1730)

A silver-gilt tea caddy engraved with the coat of arms of George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington, attributed to Isaac Liger (fl 1706-1730) engraved with decoration in the style of Simon Gribelin (born Blois 1661- died London 1733). About 1706

Oblong, the front engraved with the Earl's coat of arms between two trumpetting putti and foliage; the ends engraved with foliage and a bird, back engraved with an empty cartouche surrounded by foliage,a bird, two squirrels and two angels. Round screw cap also engraved with foliage.

The coat of arms of George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington

Bequeathed by Claude D. Rotch

The canister was made for George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington (1675-1758) and on his death passed to his daughter, Lady Mary Booth, Countess of Stamford (1704-1772) and then to George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford (1827-1883). Grey removed the canister from Dunham Massey to Enville Hall, Staffordshire; it was inherited by his widow, Catherine Cocks, Countess of Stamford (1826-1905) and passed to her great-niece, Catherin Payne, Lady Grey (died 1925). She and her son, Sir John Foley Grey, 8th Baronet (1893-1938) sold the piece at Christie's, London, on 20 April 1921. It was in the possession of Claude Rotch by 1954, when he lent the piece to the exhibition 'Masterpieces of British Art and Craftsmanship', at Ormeley Lodge, Surrey. No record survives to show how Rotch acquired it, but it is likely he bought it from the London trade. Rotch, who made his fortune as a tea merchant, collected 18th century paintings (particularly portraits), ceramics and silver, but was especially interested in chairs and the development of their design. He also, apparently, bred chow chow dogs. He placed the tea canister on loan to the V&A's Circulation Department in September 1957, and recalled the loan in June 1959. After his death in 1961, the piece passed to the V&A, one of a large group of interesting and important pieces of furniture and paintings (see the acquisition registered file 61 / 3157).
We are grateful to Dr James Rothwell, Senior National Curator for Decorative Arts at the National Trust, for the detailed information about the early provenance of the canister.

M.312:1, 2-1962