A handwritten bill, with a printed heading. In the top right corner is a coat of arms including a crown, a lion and unicorn, and topped with three feathers, showing the business's royal connections. The printed header readers: "32 Ludgate Hill London. Bo[ugh]t of Rundell Bridge & Rundell, Goldsmiths & Jewellers, To Their Majesties, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, Her Royal Highness The Princess Charlotte, His Royal Highness the Duke of York & all the Royal Family." The number 25919 is stamped just above. Handwritten at the top of the page is the addressee, "His Royal Highness the Prince Regent." The rest of the page consists of a handwritten itemised list of purchases: "1618 18 Oct. Mounting part of the Mulberry Tree planted by Shakespear in Gold for 5 Toothpick boxes £15.15.00. [Ditto] 2 [ditto] £13.13.00. Engraving Inscriptions on the above 12/00. 1817 13 Feby Repairing & new boiling the Orders. [ditto] on 2 Bars & remixing [ditto]. Soldering on two golds pins to [?] of Golden Fleece. 2 new enamelled centres to Golden Fleece. 22 [Feby] Altering Brilliant Garter lengthening ditto & 10 Brilliants added to the sides, new [?] etc. 6 April A Snuff Box mounted & lined with Gold with profile of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent." The sums are listed on the right hand side and the total at the bottom carried forward is £349 10s 6d. A pencil note below '18 Oct' reads "in King's Audience Rm Windsor."

Bill

Rundell, Bridge and Rundell

1816

RA/GEO/MAIN/25919

Image credit: Royal Archives / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021

This bill is one of hundreds sent by the goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell to the future George IV.

It charges him for ‘Mounting part of the Mulberry Tree planted by Shakespeare in Gold’ to produce seven toothpick boxes – two costing £13 13 shillings and five costing £15 15 shillings (approximately £800-900 in today's money).

Only three (also included in this exhibition) remain in the Collection. The others were almost certainly commissioned as gifts, the difference in price reflecting the respective importance of the receivers. They testify to George’s strategic use of Shakespearean ‘relics’ as objects of personal and political diplomacy.

Previous object

Three mulberry boxes

Manner of Alexander James Strachan (1774-1850), for Rundell, Bridge & Rundell

1816

Mulberry Boxes Interior

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Herne’s Oak, Windsor Park

Attributed to Samuel Ireland

c.1799

Ireland Herne's Oak 1799

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