This snuffbox lid, which has probably never been mounted (explaining the perfect condition of its engraving on a piece of mother-of-pearl), is one of the rare works created in this exotic and precious material by the engraver and medallist Norbert Heylbrouck (1700–1762). While most other known examples are decorated with mythological or gallant scenes, this one features an Old Testament representation, whose hidden meaning we have deciphered...

1. The eventful life of Norbert Heylbrouck

Little is known about the life of Norbert Heylbrouck. He was born in Ghent in 1700, where his father Michel Heylbrouck (1664–1573) worked as a medallist and engraver and trained his son in the craft. Michel was arrested in 1726 while working as an engraver in the Guild of St. George in Ghent for counterfeiting and was sentenced to be hanged in 1731. An intervention by his wife with Archduchess Marie-Elisabeth of Austria saved his life and he had his sentence commuted to lifelong residence in Ghent.

In 1749, however, the authorities appointed him engraver and coin cutter when the Bruges Mint reopened. His life sentence was not lifted, but transferred to Bruges. He then described himself as "engraver to His Majesty at the Mint in Bruges." In 1755, new counterfeiting problems arose due to the use of fake molds. As punishment, he was exiled to Brussels in 1759, where he died in 1762.

2. An object of remarkable rarity

According to Paul van de Weijer[1] , only eight other snuffboxes made by Michel Heylbrouck are known to exist. They are generally engraved with mythological scenes (sometimes associated with gallant scenes) and made of mother-of-pearl, except for two of them (engraved on silver[2] ).

Among these snuffboxes are:

· The silver snuffbox described by Paul van de Weijer, which is decorated with two mythological scenes: Apollo guarding the flocks of Admetus and Pandora and Epimetheus;

· A mother-of-pearl snuffbox mounted on silver sold at Sotheby's, the lid depicting The Punishment of Marsyas and the interior depicting A Monk Correcting a Nun;

· A mother-of-pearl snuffbox mounted on gold sold at Christie's on April 16, 2002 (€32,250) with the lid depicting Actaeon devoured by his dogs and the reverse side depicting Venus's toilet;

· And finally, a gold snuffbox with mother-of-pearl sides engraved by the artist during his stay in Bruges, which is kept at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

3. A particularly original biblical decoration

The signature "N. Heylbrouck Fecit Gandavi" placed below the scene allows us to date this snuffbox lid to before 1749, when the artist was still in Ghent. It was probably inspired by a print (which we have not been able to identify), but the great originality of this lid is that it depicts a scene from the Old Testament, probably David being led by Abner before Saul.

This story corresponds to verses 57 and 58 of the 17th chapter of the Book of Samuel: “When David came back from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul. David was still holding Goliath's head. Saul asked him, “Young man, who is your father?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

David is depicted as a young man led by an older man to a warrior chief who is slightly leaning forward to question him. He holds in his hands a large basket covered with a lid that Abner is about to open to present the Philistine's head. It is worth noting Heylbrouck's great skill in depicting a frieze of some fifteen characters in such a small space (9 cm wide), while still managing to include several successive planes.

We have seen that many other snuffboxes alternated between mythological and gallant scenes; how can we explain the choice of this rather austere Old Testament scene? We believe that this choice results from a humorous comparison between the opening of the snuffbox (to reveal the tobacco it contains) and that of the basket carried by David (to reveal Goliath's head)... a connection that could be completed, once the snuffbox was opened, by the discovery of the face of the one holding it in his hands, reflected and distorted by the concave silver coating on the back of the engraved mother-of-pearl shell – a reflection that could undoubtedly evoke Goliath's head!

4. Framing

Having probably never been mounted, our lid is presented as a miniature in an elegant oval rosewood frame dating from the second half of the 19th century.

Main bibliographical reference:

Ch. Gilleman – The private engraver of the Bruges mint Norbert Heylbrouck 1749-1762 Belgian Journal of Numismatics and Sigillography – Brussels 1919

[1] Paul van de Weijer NORBERT HEYLBROUCK SR. REDISCOVERED ‘Senses-stimulating’ snuff box (1732-1749) by a master engraver

[2] In 2003, Sotheby's sold a silver-gilt snuffbox decorated by Norbert Heylbrouck for €54,505. The lid depicts Venus on her conch shell pulled by dolphins, and the reverse side shows an erotic scene entitled Le chat caressé (The Caressed Cat).