Eugène de Beauharnais, whose portrait appears on this box, was the stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte through his first wife Josephine. A loyal supporter of his step-father, he took part in a number of notable battles. He was married in 1806 to Augusta Amelia, daughter of the Elector Maximilien III, whom Napoleon elevated to royal status as the first king of Bavaria. For much of his career, Eugène was viceroy of Italy but following the overthrow of Napoleon, he took refuge in Munich where he died at the age of 43.

The cameo was carved by Giovanni Beltrami (1779-1854), trained as a stone-cutter under the renowned Giovanni Pichler. He was famed for his very elaborate cameos and intaglios, such as cutting twenty figures on a single stone and producing a miniature version of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper on a topaz. He worked for a number of European monarchs, including the empress of Austria. Eugène de Beauharnais commissioned several portraits from him, one of which is set in this box.

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.