Wilton was Sculptor to the Court of George III and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy. However, he also continued in his father's lucrative profession, decorative carving. He produced elegant chimneypieces for public buildings such as Somerset House and for the Council Room of the Royal Academy, as well as for Britain's stately homes (Blenheim, Sandbeck Park and Kirkleatham).

Cf. R. Gunnis, Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851, London, 1951, p. 435 and G. Beard, The Work of Robert Adam, New York, 1978, p. 41, pl. 64 for the center panel of the drawing room chimneypiece at Osterly Park, attributed to Wilton, which is similar in design and motif to the present pair of panels with sphinxes.