Untitled
John Cooper & Sons
Category
Wooden objects
Date
1900
Materials
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Calke Abbey, Derbyshire
NT 287841
Caption
John Cooper was the leading British fish taxidermist, the firm being in business for nearly 130 years. It specialised in displaying fish in bow-fronted cases with gold trim around the glass (a style highly characteristic of English taxidermists, not common in Scotland, and never seen abroad). However, Cooper sometimes set up birds for customers, often in cases like this one that were normally used for fish. It has a bright blue sky with small puffy white clouds, a typical style feature of Cooper bird cases. Whilst Cooper fish are the finest taxidermy, their birds were less competently done. This gull has a protruding chest and flat back, faults that would never be seen in work by Gunn or Spicer for example.
Summary
A rectangular ebonised wood taxidermy display case with a glazed bow front with gilt edging and glass side panels, the interior decorated with a painted sky background. Contains a stuffed Great Black-Backed Gull by John Cooper of London standing on a base with seaweed and grasses.
Provenance
Transferred to the National Trust by the Treasury in lieu of CTT in 1985 with an endowment provided by the NHMF.
Makers and roles
John Cooper & Sons, taxidermist