The Shield of Achilles, 1821 (silver gilt)

In 1810 John Flaxman received the first of a number of payments from Rundells to 'reconstruct' this mythological shield from Homer's description. Although Flaxman was said to be a keen Greek scholar who spent many evenings reading aloud (in Greek) from the Iliad, it is probable that his chief source for the design was the narrative in Pope's translation of 1715-20. The final design was not completed until 1817; somewhat unusually, Flaxman then modelled and cast it in plaster himself. This shield was the first in a series of silver-gilt and bronze casts, and was completed in 1821, when it was prominently displayed at George IV's coronation banquet.