Ivory carving was a speciality of Dieppe in northern France. Ships trading between France and west Africa brought large quantities of elephant ivory into the town, which was then carved into small decorative objects. By 1731, 12 master carvers and 250 workmen were recorded as active in the ivory trade.

This box is carved with a scene showing the family of the defeated Persian king Darius III kneeling before Alexander the Great. The kindness shown by Alexander to his defeated enemy became a symbol of mercy. The scene is based on a painting of 1660 by Charles le Brun. This box was probably made in Dieppe, ca.1750.

Inside the lid of the box is a portrait miniature of John, first Earl Spencer (1734-84) painted by Jean-Etienne Liotard. Liotard, a native of Geneva, worked in Paris from 1723 onward. He received a commission in 1735 for a portrait of Pope Clement XII. From Rome, he journeyed to Constantinople and remained in the Middle East for about four years before returning to Paris via Venice. In 1753, he visited England and painted the portrait of Princess of Wales. The miniature in this box was presumably executed at that time.

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.