Bernard-Armand Marguerite and his associate were crown jewellers to the Imperial Court of Napoleon I. Another box signed by Malide & Marguerite, given by Empress Josephine to Napoleon, also set with miniatures by Isabey depicting members of the Imperial family, is in the Museum of Malmaison (see Serge Grandjean, Les tabatieres du musee du Louvre, Paris, 1981, p.232, No.330).
Elisa Bonaparte (1777-1820), one of the sisters of Emperor Napoleon, became Princess of Lucca & Piombino in 1805 and in 1809 was styled Grand Duchess of Tuscany.