John Obrisset was the son of an ivory carver who emigrated to London from Dieppe. He was not recorded as a member of any of the guilds, but his name (usually monogrammed OB) appears on many horn and tortoiseshell boxes of the late 17th and early 18th century. Obrisset was presumably the die-cutter whose boxes were made by independent artisans; a commom violation of the guild regulations for craftsmen to work independently in several related mediums. He specialised in portraits of English Monarchs from Charles I to George II and amongst other topics four variants of a box with the name and Arms of Sir Francis Drake executed in 1712.