Like so so many quotes, it began with the Bard.
King John, Act IV, Scene 2
SALISBURY:
Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before,
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.
The modern version is clearly a garbled synthesis of what Salisbury had to say, but that's where it started.
Cheers,