Metals
John Wolfe Forbes (Maker)
New York, New York, United States, North America
1819
Silver
Wrought, Engraved
2019.0036
Object Number2019.0036 |
Bowl (Baptismal Basin)
Metals
Gift of Charles and Gemma Huntress Limington, Maine
John Wolfe Forbes (Maker)
1781-1864
New York, New York, United States, North America
1819
1. Mark; Foot rim, exterior; "I.W.FORBES" in rectangle, stamped
2. Mark; Foot rim, exterior; Sheaf of wheat in rectangle, stamped twice, flanking name
3. Mark; Foot, interior near rim; "I.W.FORBES" in rectangle, stamped
4. Mark; Foot, interior near rim; Sheaf of wheat in rectangle, stamped twice, flanking name
5. Inscription; Bowl, exterior; "1819. / MB” in script, engraved
6. Inscription; Bowl, exterior; "A Bequest / 1819 / Mary Ten Eyck Brown / daughter of Samuel Ten Eyck / and / widow of Thomas Brown / to her grand niece / Maria Susannah Decatur / daughter of John P. Decatur” in script
Religion associated; Military
Silver
Wrought, Engraved
4.75 (H) , 6.25 (Diam)
12.065 (H) , 15.875 (Diam)
Weight in ounces troy: 12 oz (according to seller).
In early America, a family of Protestant faith might commission a baptismal bowl to be made of silver or pewter. This deep bowl was engraved to preserve the silver's lineage from the donor, Mary Ten Eyck Brown to her niece's eldest child, Maria Susannah Decatur. Maria S. Decatur, in turn, left instructions about the bowl in her will so that her sister Anna Pine Decatur Parsons would treasure it: "our parents having had the holy rites of Baptism administered from it, to their children." Maria S. Decatur and her younger siblings, children of John Pine Decatur and his wife Maria Susanna Ten Eyck, were raised in Newark, New Jersey and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This baptismal bowl was a revered silver relic from a family whose naval and military service to the nation added further luster to its history.