A FUNDRAISING appeal is being launched to acquire a rare Captain Cook artefact.
The 18th Century japanned tea tray features a depiction of the legendary explorer’s death painted by Edward Bird RA.
It’s now on sale – and the Cook Birthplace Trust is appealing for donations to help it meet the £34,500 asking price to return it to its former home.
The tray – a rendering of George Carter’s 1781 painting of the scene - dates from the 1790s and was presented to Middlesbrough funding father Henry Bolckow in the 1850s or 1860s.
Councillor Tom Mawston, chair of the Cook Birthplace Trust, said: “2018 marks the 250th anniversary of the first of James Cook’s three famous voyages to the Pacific.
“There remains huge local pride in the achievements of a man who pushed back the boundaries of the known world, and we are determined to develop and expand our celebration of one of history’s towering figures."
To donate visit www.gofundme.com/captain-james-cook-artefact-return
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