An extremely important and rare mid 18th century ormolu-mounted white marble vase perfume burner by Matthew Boulton having a pierced lid with waisted dome and berry finial on a guilloche ring with flower head decoration and two loop handles with dolphin terminals above a white marble ovolo body applied with four ribbon tied husk swag decorated medallions depicting the Greek females Thalia, Victory Salutaris, Polyxena and a woman at an altar, above a fluted ormolu rim and acanthus decorated base; on a waisted socle terminating in a square stepped bucrania decorated plinth.

Note: This extraordinary work of art is the only single one known to exist and may well be the one offered by Boulton in the auction sale of 1778. The other four recorded examples in pairs are at Syon House, Middlesex; the H. D. Young Museum, San Francisco; the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and one pair sold by Partridge Fine Arts, London.