A GEORGE III SILVER-GILT TOILET CASKET

THE MARRIAGE OF CUPID AND PSYCHE
The scene depicted in the oval cartouche on the cover of the casket is taken from an ancient Roman cameo, the centerpiece of the renowned Marlborough Gems, a collection inherited in 1762 and expanded by George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739-1817). The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche cameo is traditionally thought to date from between the 1st century B.C. or the early 1st century A.D., although it has been suggested it could be the work of a Renaissance hand. Since 1889 it has been in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, having been sold by the 7th Duke of Marlborough at Christie's in 1875. It was once the gift of the artist and diplomat Peter Paul Rubens to Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel.

The scene was much copied in the latter part of the 18th century. It was painted by Giovanni Battista Cipriani, engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi and James Tassie reproduced it as a medallion cast in opaque coloured glass. William Hackwood reproduced a low relief plaque from Tassie's cast for the porcelain manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood and the sculptor John Flaxman modeled a larger version, both versions appearing in Wedgwood's 1779 catalogue.