Rouquet was born to French Huguenot parents, who had moved to Geneva seeking religious tolerance. He worked in Geneva, Paris and London, where he became a friend of the painter William Hogarth (1697-1764). In 1755 he published The Present State of the Arts in England, which included a chapter on portraiture in enamel.

In the 17th century, new techniques of painting enamels allowed delicate portraits resembling tiny oil paintings to be created. This enamel portraiture in miniature was a truly international art. Many enamellers travelled in order to find new markets, while others migrated to escape religious persecution. Enamel miniatures were first fashionable in continental Europe, but were particularly in vogue in Britain from the 1720s to 1760s.

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.