The late 1750s and 1760s saw a new vogue for boxes mounted with gouache miniature paintings depicting classical subjects, river scenes, views of chateaux and elegant garden parties. The scene painted on the top of this box took place on July 13, 1740 in the royal forest of Compiègne. During a court hunt involving Louis XV, a stag was pursued onto the roof of a thatched cottage and remained at bay until the master of the hunt cut the roof from underneath him. The box is reputed to have belonged to Louis XV and to have been subsequently presented to André Huë in 1824 by Louis XVIII. The Huë family had a long tradition of royal service, principally as greffiers de chasse, record-keepers of the royal hunt at Fontainebleau.

The miniatures are by a member of the van Blarenberghe family of painters. At least five members of the family were painters of miniatures. They rarely signed their work with either their first name or initials, which makes attribution almost impossible. The hunting scenes and their quality are typical of their known output.

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.