The armory in the town of Tula, south of Moscow, flourished under Empress Catherine the Great (r. 1762–96), supplying not only weaponry but also a variety of decorative pieces, including precious cut-steel objects. With a diamond-like sparkle and fairy-tale appearance, they are the ultimate embodiment of eighteenth-century Russian decorative arts. The Museum's table belongs to a small group of furniture, embellished with silver inlay, ornamental etching, and gilded applications, that summarizes nearly all the techniques practiced by the Tula craftsmen. Presumably the only known example outside of Russia, this table is visually the most accomplished of all.

Objects of such commanding quality left Russia mostly as diplomatic gifts or as part of an imperial dowry. However, recent research reveals that this extraordinary parade table (meant for display, not daily use) was made for the Russian imperial family in about 1780–85. Some years later, it is recorded in the bedroom of Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna (1759–1828) in the palace of Pavlovsk, near Saint Petersburg. The empress gave it as a personal keepsake in 1801 to her former brother-in-law, Duke Peter of Oldenburg (1755–1829), on the occasion of a sad anniversary: the duke had married her late sister, Princess Fredericke of Württemberg (1765–1785), twenty years earlier.