Cabinets to hold medals, of this design, were created for Louis XIV in the first decade of the eighteenth century. In the 1730s further examples, including this pair, were made in Boulle’s workshops. At this date they more likely intended for books or other small works of art. George IV certainly displayed them in the library at Carlton House, although they were surely acquired for their decorative appearance rather than their practical function.

Possibly purchased in 1813, in Carlton House by c.1818