The term boîte à portrait (French for 'box with a portrait') is a mystery, since these objects have nothing to do with a box. Recipients of such presents in France were tacitly allowed to return them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in exchange for cash. While such practices may not have been so explicit in the rest of Europe, the portraits were frequently dismantled and the diamonds sold. This example is an extremely rare survival and show how the practice was quickly adopted by sovereigns of other countries, especially in northern Europe.

While the sitter in this boîte à portrait remains unidentified, the crown surmounting the frame indicates that it is an Elector, a ruler of a German principality entitled to vote in the election of the Holy Roman Emperor.

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.