Miniature glass mosaics were a speciality of Rome. Antonio Aguatti was one of the best known Roman mosaicists. He was a member of the Studio del Musaico at the Vatican but also worked independently, and is thought to have developed throughout his lifetime a large number of new shapes and colours for tesserae, the minute pieces of glass used in micromosaics. A large number of his signed mosaics have survived, many incorporating animals. Pierre-André Montauban, the goldsmith responsible for the box, was described as a bijoutier-garnisseur, suggesting that much of his work involved mounting pieces by other craftsmen.

The subject on this plaque, Cupid riding a shell, is similar to frescoes discovered in Pompeii and published in 1805, which inspired a hugely popular series of gouaches by Michelangelo Maestri (died 1812).

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.