This cup was presented to the Art Gallery of South Australia by Queen Mary as part of Empire-wide celebrations for the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935.
South Australia was unique among the Australian colonies in that the South Australian Literary and Scientific Association assembled a subscription library before the settlers left Britain.
Robert Barr Smith had a genius for business. He was also a generous philanthropist, though his modesty dictated that much of the funding was dispensed anonymously.