Here we see a silver spirit flask that bears the arms of Charles Beauclerk (1670-1726), the elder illegitimate son of Charles II by his mistress, the actress Nell Gwyn. Nell and Charles had a rocky relationship. He rebuked her after she referred to their six year old son as a “bastard.” Gwyn’s response was, "Your majesty has given me no other name by which to call him."
Never one to enjoy being challenged, Charles II gave his son the name Beauclerk and created him Baron Heddington and Earl of Burford. In January of 1684, he was created Duke of St Albans and in April of 1694 he was married to Diana, second daughter and eventually sole heiress of Aubrey, 20th and last Duke of Oxford.
His flask is engraved with scrolling foliage in the style of the artist Blaise Gentot and has been brilliantly constructed with a removable base which serves as a cup with a gilt interior and a top which can be inverted and used to unscrew the internal stopper.
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