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Cupid's Casket

Cupid's Casket needle case
Needle Case


Design Representation

Design Details

Needle Case Type:

Flat-Names

Patent/Registered to:

William Avery & Son - Redditch

Patent/Design Representation #:

Non-Ornamental: #5365

Patent/Design Registration Date:

June 24, 1872

Location of Patent/Design Registration:

The National Archives (TNA) - Kew, UK

Reference #:

TNA Representation - BT 45/27/5365

Dimensions:

2.2 x 5.7

Material:

Brass

Name Variations:

W. Avery & Son - Redditch

Other Variations:

None

Additional Photographs

Back and front open

End cap closed and open

Front detail views

Facts

Cupid is usually portrayed as a naked winged boy who carries a bow and arrows and is considered the symbol of love.  He is most often found on greeting cards, especially ones created for Valentine’s Day.

Table mirror facts

History

Cupid dates to the ancient Roman period when he was the mythological god of love.  Although his Classical Greek counterpart, Eros, was a slender winged young man, the Romans depicted Cupid as a cubby boy with wings and a bow and arrow.  According to mythology anyone shot with Cupid’s arrow immediately fell in love.  The famous Italian Renaissance painter Raphael included the cupid shown below in one of his frescos completed in 1514.

Fan history

Miscellaneous

One reason images of cupid became common during the Victorian Period was because of the popularity of Valentine’s Day cards.  Although written valentine greetings first appeared in 15th century, they increased tenfold during the Victorian Era because of advances in color printing and the introduction of the “penny post” which made it easy and inexpensive to mail them.

Fan misc