This box brings together portraits of two half-sisters: Lady Selina Dering painted in a blue dress on the cover, and Lady Katherine Guilford painted in a green dress on the inside of the cover. They were the daughters of Sir Robert Furnese, 2nd Baronet of Waldeshare, Kent. Enamel portraits were often commissioned for such a purpose, and it is known that Zincke, the most successful enamel painter of his time, produced other groups of portraits which he linked in boxes like this one.

In the 17th century, new techniques of painting enamels allowed delicate portraits resembling tiny oil paintings to be created. These enamel miniatures were first fashionable in continental Europe, but were particularly in vogue in Britain from the 1720s to 1760s. Enamel portraits performed a wide variety of functions. They were often given as diplomatic gifts or awarded to recognise official service. Some celebrated historical figures, while others commemorated a marriage, or departed loved one. Sitters often commissioned enamel copies alongside an original portrait in oils, in order to have a more intimate and portable version in a robust material. Enamels could also be set into jewellery or extravagant boxes so that they could be worn or carried. Larger enamels were often displayed in elaborate frames.

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.