This box, richly decorated with rubies, diamonds and varicoloured gold, was made by Jean Ducrollay's workshop. He was one of the most esteemed gold box makers in Paris. Born in 1709, he was apprenticed to Jean Drais and became a master in 1734. Ducrollay is recorded in the royal inventories as making boxes for the court of Louis XV, one of which was presented to the Ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire in 1757. An album containing designs from Ducrollay's workshop is now in the collection of the V&A (museum no. E.897-1988) and includes another design using precious stones and varicoloured gold.

The use of rubies and diamonds with coloured gold is comparatively rare and may have been a speciality of the Ducrollay workshop. Coloured gold is produced by the addition of another metal - copper and silver produce respectively red or green gold, other shades are created by varying the composition of the alloy.

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.