A Rare and Massive Chinese Export Armorial Christening Bowl, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, Circa 1770 | 清乾隆 約1770年 粉彩紋章圖大盌

For the arms and illustration of the present example, see David Sanctuary Howard, Chinese Armorial Porcelain, Vol. II, Chippenham, 2003, p. 411, S1. David Howard notes that there were a total of three services known to have been ordered with these arms. The first, ordered probably circa 1760, is illustrated in ibid. p. 290, Q3; the present example, undoubtedly ordered for Sir Thomas Wentworth, 5th Baronet of Bretton; and ibid. p. 444, S2, ordered circa 1765. 

Sir Thomas Wentworth was High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1765. He was the son of Sir William Wentworth, 4th Baronet, and Sir Thomas inherited the Blackett estates from his mother Diana, daughter of Sir William Blackett. A punch bowl bearing the same Wentworth arms is illustrated in David Sanctuary Howard, Chinese Armorial Porcelain, Vol. I, London, 1974, p. 263, E18. This example was formerly in the collection of Sir Algernon Tudor-Craig (1873-1943), and later entered the collection of the Fort Ligionier Museum, Pennsylvania, in 1976, and offered at Christie's New York, January 23rd, 2020, lot 73. The center of the interior of this example is painted with the device and inscription of The Beggar's Bennison, suggesting that Sir Thomas was most likely a member of the club. Two punch bowls bearing the device of The Beggar's Bennison is offered in this sale, lots 7 and 8.