[F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy.] Letter opener made from the yew tree in Mendelssohn's garden, C19th

[Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix]

Letter opener made from the yew tree in Mendelssohn's Berlin garden

finely carved in yew, with foliage ornamentation to hilt, length 25.5cm, manuscript note to small piece of card tied with red thread to the centre of the opener ("Vom Taxusbaum aus Felix Mendelssohns Garten Berlin Leipzigerstrasse 3. wo er die Ouverture zum Sommernachtstraum componirte"), no place or date [Berlin, first half of the C19th]

A note on card tied to the letter opener, possibly in the hand of Ernst Rudorff (1840-1916), from whose former collection this highly attractive object comes, states that it is made from a yew tree in Mendelssohn's Berlin garden, Leipzigerstrasse 3, where he composed the Midsummer Night's Dream overture. Owned by Mendelssohn's parents since 1821, the stately family residence in the Leipzigerstrasse was a notable cultural address in Berlin and where Mendelssohn spent the years of his youth.