Caster, ca. 1700–10
Made in New York City
Silver, 8 in. (20.3 cm) high
Mabel Brady Garvan Collection
1930.1044
Unequaled in American silver for both its monumental size and richness of decoration, this caster by Bartholomew le Roux represents a European tradition of style and craftsmanship in the American colonies. Used to dispense expensive spices, the eighteenth-century tableware illustrates typical Baroque ornamentation, including gadroons on the foot and flange, scrolled "bayonet" fasteners, and a pierced cover with engraved symmetrical floral and foliate scrolls. Elaborate silver table services, made for wealthy patrons, often contained casters smaller in scale than this example. Already a fully trained craftsman before he emigrated, the Huguenot le Roux became a noted craftsman in New York and later passed on his skills to his sons and grandson.
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