The charming scene decorating the top of this box is taken from Le berger et la bergère, a painting by François Boucher (1703-70), now in the Wallace Collection, London. The miniatures are thought to have been painted by Charles Nicolas Dodin, the preeminent painter at the royal porcelain factory of Sèvres, in 1765. Boucher's scenes of courtship and country life were a popular source of decoration for gold boxes.

An inscription around the bezel records that it was made by Fossin et Fils Joailliers du Roi a Paris, ca.1819-1838. The family firm of Fossin traded until 1862 when ownership was transferred to Prosper Morel and then to Maison Chaumet, still trading at 12 Place Vendôme, Paris.

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.