These wall sconces for holding candles demonstrate the high-quality ornament that immigrant craftsmen brought to their best work. Philip Rollos the Elder was one of the most successful goldsmiths in London. He made these sconces for King William III (1650-1702) and also supplied silver to Queen Anne.

Although previously thought to be of Huguenot (French Protestant) origin, it has recently been discovered that Phillip Rollos the elder was a Lutheran from Berlin. One of his sons, John, was a specialist seal engraver and may have worked for his father engraving coats of arms on silver supplied for armigerous clients. The Rollos family settled in London's West End where many of their competitors were skilled Huguenot goldsmiths forced to leave France to escape reilgious persecution and for economic reasons. Their Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, which had provided Huguenots with a degree of religious toleration. In 1689 and again in 1709 Louis XIV ordered that his silver and silver furniture should be melted in order to finance his wars against the Protestant allies. Phillip Rollos and his family were therefore amongst many skilled Protestant craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Such specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.

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.