Charles Carroll the Barrister: A George III silver punch bowl and matching ladle of Baltimore interest, London, 1771 and circa

gadroon rims and spiral-fluted pedestal foot, the lower body chased with acanthus and the upper body with laurel swags and rosettes linking lion-head and ring handles, engraved with arms on ribbon-tied shields flanked by floral pendants, on probably later square base with ball feet, the ladle chased with matching decoration and engraved with conforming crest, turned ebonized handle

Charles Carroll and Margaret Tilghman Carroll, to his nephew
James Maccubin Carroll (1761-1832), to his son
James Carroll Jr. (1791-1873), to his son
James Carroll III (1817-1887), to his daughter
Acsah Ridgley Carroll (1838-1917), to her daughter
Caroline Preston (1864-1937) and by descent.

square base and ball feet probably added later to strenghten, a little rough solder at join, some wear to ladle, otherwise good, crisp condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Charles Carroll, Barrister (1723-1783) was one of the wealthiest men in colonial Maryland.  A relative of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, he was educated in Portugal then Eton and Cambridge, and later studied law in London.  After paying 20 shillings a year for being a "persistent bachelor," in 1763 the 40-year-old lawyer married his 21-year-old cousin Margaret Tilghman, "a young Lady of great Merit, Beauty and Fortune" (Maryland Gazette) and took her to Mount Clare, the elegant plantation house he had built southwest of Baltimore.

In 1770-71 the Carrolls were painted by Charles Wilson Peale; the Barrister had been one of the primary funders of Peale's trip to study painting in Europe.  In spring of 1771 the couple traveled themselves to England, for the Barrister to take the waters and his wife to see London.  It is presumably during this time that they ordered the offered punch bowl and ladle.  The fluted pedestal foot, large acanthus leaves on the lower body, and laurel swags are very typical of the early 1770s, such as a on a cup and cover by Louisa Courtauld & George Cowles of 1771 in the Victoria & Albert Museum (Robert Rowe, Adam Silver, fig. 19).  Similar swags decorate candlesticks and bottle coasters purchased in 1771 by Arthur and Mary Middleton of South Carolina when they were on their honeymoon trip to London (Palmette Silver: Riches of the South, pp. 12-13).

After their return, as the colonies moved towards war Carroll served in the Maryland Assembly, then in the Annapolis Convention, serving on the Committees of Correspondence and of Safety, and escorting Robert Eden, the last British governor in the thirteen colonies, to his ship in June 1776.  He helped draft the Declaration and Charter of Rights for Maryland, then its first Constitution.  He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress 1776-1777 and as a state senator from 1777 until his death in 1783.

His widow survived him by almost 35 years.  She was known for her hospitality and her gardens; in 1784 George Washington asked her for details about her orangery, for the one he was constructing at Mount Vernon.  On her death, Mount Clare and much of the estate passed to her husband's nephew James Maccubin, on the understanding that he would take the name of Carroll.  Margaret Tilghman Carroll's will specifically bequeathed to him her "large silver punch bowl."  The bowl and Mount Clare itself passed to his son James Carroll Jr., who married in 1811 Achsah Ridgely, daughter of Governor Charles Ridgely.  After her death in 1841, her widower began renting the country house and moved its contents to his new house at 105 West Monument Street in Baltimore.