Important Bickley Family Silver Tankard, Bartholomew Le Roux, Sr. (c. 1665-1713), New York, New York, c. 1710. The tapering cylinder body having a foot with applied repeating leaf decoration above fine horizontal and wavy line banding, the mouth with molded rim, the body engraved with an elaborate foliate scroll cartouche centering a griffin above a knights helmet and the Bickley coat of arms below, hinged flat-domed cover with scroll thumbpiece, the front of the rim with sculpted and with engraved scroll decoration, scroll handle with applied foliate device at the top above later engraved initials 'T/IM' and cast cherub's head terminal below, marked twice on the lid and twice on the base with Le Roux's touchmark 'BR' within a sunken oval cartouche, approx. 27.3 troy oz. Ht. 6 1/2, dia. 4 7/8 in. Footnotes: Note The engraved coat of arms is that of the Bickley family and it is probable that this tankard was owned by Province of New York Attorney General, May Bickley. May Bickley was born in England and arrived in New York about 1701. He was admitted to the New York bar on October 7, 1701, and quickly developed a thriving legal practice bringing many cases before the Supreme and Chancery Courts. Bickley was appointed Attorney General of the Province of New York in 1705 a post that he held briefly until John Rayner was appointed to the position. In 1710 Bickley was again appointed Attorney General of the Province and in that capacity was a prosecutor in the alleged 'Negro Plot of 1712.' He was replaced as Attorney General on June 10, 1712. Prior to May Bickley's death in 1724 he served as Recorder of the City of New York and Advocate General of the Court of Vice-Admiralty, a judge of the Court of Sessions in New York City and was one of the founding members of the New York Bar Association and Trinity Church. Bartholomew Le Roux (c. 1665-1713), New York's first Huguenot silversmith, arrived in the city from London by 1690 and quickly established himself as one of the city's leading silversmiths. He served as Assistant Alderman 1702-1712 and in this capacity would have been familiar with May Bickley. Le Roux's work is exceedingly rare with perhaps twenty surviving examples in public and private collections. We thank Nathaniel Taylor and Joseph McMillan, Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, for their kind research assistance. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing