This cup would have been displayed on a sideboard. When viewed by candlelight, its dignified proportions and the balance of plain and decorated surfaces were enhanced. The decoration shows the influence of Huguenot silversmith Pierre Platel, who arrived in England in 1688, or the work of his one-time apprentice, Paul de Lamerie, who became the most successful Huguenot smith in London.

When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the religiously tolerant Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were 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. Huguenot 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.