The principle source for mother-of-pearl was Goa in the South China Sea. The marriage of Catherine de Braganza to Charles II in 1661 opened up trade between Goa and Europe. The major center of mother-of-pearl production was Nürnberg. However, the shapes of the offered lots relate to silver objects being made in London by German and Flemish immigrant craftsmen and might point to an English origin. A similar group of mother-of-pearl objects are at Chicheley Hall, Buckinghamshire and were exhibited at The Treasure Houses of Britain, The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 1985, p. 169, fig. 99.