A rare George III silver Neo Classical christening / baptismal bowl, cover and stand Henry Green, London 1788, cover apparently unmarked Unusual sixteen sided shape, prick-dot engraved panelled sides further bright-engraved with foliate scroll borders interspersed with flowers and circular medallions, with a tall pagoda style lift-off cover surmounted with a ball finial, the bowl with a collet foot, fitting into the stand within a central ring, each piece is engraved with the script initials 'TW', the interior of the cover is engraved 'Nov the 20th, The Gift of Mrs Beckford to Thomas Wildman Aged 15 Months 1788', diameter 21cm, weight 23.8oz. Footnotes: Provenance: Sothebys, An Exceptional Eye: A Private British Collection, 14th July 2010, London, lot 142 With Mary Cooke Antiques Limited 2010 The Patrick and Mavis Walker Silver Collection Inscription reads 'Novr the 20th The Gift of Mrs Beckford to Thomas Wildman aged 15 months 1788' Mrs Beckford refers to Mrs William 'Alderman' Beckford, mother of the famous novelist, consummately knowledgeable art collector, Politian and builder William Beckford, reputed to be the wealthiest man in England in 1781. The seat was Fonthill Splendens in Wiltshire. It is known that the Beckford and Wildman families were friends. Thomas Wildman (1787-1859) was the son of Thomas Wildman (1740-1795) and Sarah Hardinge (1751-1830). His father, from a rural background in Lancashire, became a MP and eminent solicitor and partner in the successful law firm, at Lincoln's Inn, Coulthard & Wildman. In 1770, Alderman William Beckford (d. 1770) appointed Thomas Wildman to manage the fortune that his 9 year old son William, was about to inherit. The Wildman brothers became deeply involved in William Beckford's affairs; Thomas was particularly involved with Fonthill Abbey, while James became overseer of Quebec estate, Beckford's large sugar plantation in Jamaica. This silver bowl was most probably a gift from Lady Margaret Gordon, William Beckford's wife, to Thomas Wildman's first-born son. A year later William Beckford became godfather to James Wildman's son who was baptised James Beckford Wildman (1789-1867). Despite their friendship, Thomas and James obtained Quebec estate from the Beckfords in 1790 who were in financial difficulty. They expanded the plantation in spite of William Beckford's efforts to recover the estate, by suing them and accusing them of having drained his fortune. In 1810, the Jamaica almanac lists Quebec as belonging to Thomas Wildman (the recipient of this bowl), owning 883 slaves in place of the 200 during Beckford's ownership. The wealth generated from this plantation provided Wildman with the means to buy Newstead Abbey, from his school friend Lord Byron, in December 1817. He spent £100,000 restoring it, hiring the architect John Shaw to make improvements and amassing there a large collection of Byron memorabilia. The Wildmans entertained many guests at Newstead including Franz Listz the composer and the Duke of Sussex who annually stayed there for a six-week holiday. As Lord Uxbridge's aide-de-camp at Waterloo, he made famous the amputation of the Lord's leg shot by cannonball. He pursued his career in the Army and was promoted Colonel in 1837. Please also note the provenance: Christie's London, 25 October 1989, lot 158 Christie's London, 6 November 1996, lot 120 For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing