This piece was recovered in 1985 off the coast of Florida. It was probably part of the wreckage of the Santo Cristo de San Roman, one of a dozen Spanish ships carrying gold and silver coins, plate and bullion to Philip V of Spain. A hurricane sank the fleet in 1715 as it sailed across the Atlantic. Centuries of exposure to sand and sea have dulled the gold to a matt surface texture.

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Schatzkammer is one of the few collections of its kind formed in the late 20th century. The Schatzkammer, or treasury, was a new concept in the 16th century. It referred to a special chamber in which the most precious artefacts of a princely collection were housed. Gold and jewelled objects were mounted alongside exotic natural curiosities, including rock crystal, nautilus shells and ostrich eggs. Together they demonstrated not only the wonders of nature and the technical achievements of the artist, but also the intellect and culture of the patron.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.