You are looking at a so called hallmark plate, an extremely important piece of documentation. Why is it so important? Well, the plate records no fewer than 186 names of Bruges goldsmiths from the period 1567-1636. In addition to their names, you can see their identification mark, or hallmark. It’s a kind of logo. Goldsmiths had to mark all their products with it. This way, their professional organisation, the guild, knew who had made what. And the quality could be checked.
Thanks to this plate we know all the names and hallmarks of Bruges' goldsmiths spanning a period of seventy years. We can also deduce from this that many were related to each other. And just like the guild at the time, we still know who is responsible for creating a particular artefact!
If you wanted to become a master of a discipline, like these 186 goldsmiths, you first had to produce what was known as a masterpiece. The steel lock you can see here, with a partially visible mechanism, is one example, by a locksmith. Franciscus De Vooght produced it in 1794 to prove he had effectively mastered his profession after completing his apprenticeship with a master locksmith. When Franciscus’ masterpiece was approved, he was able to establish himself as a master in Bruges and become a member of the guild. The masterpiece served to protect the profession and the quality of the craftsmanship.
The year 1794 appears on the lock. An unfortunate case of bad timing, as this was the year the French Revolutionary Army invaded Flanders. Four years later, the guilds were finished, along with the obligation to produce a masterpiece.
Did Franciscus De Vooght continue to work as a locksmith? Probably, but we can't know for certain.