Honoured to let you know I am one of the winners of the
Henry van de Velde Awards 2026!
Join me at the Award Show in BOZAR, Brussels, on 27 January 2026, where the jury will reveal whether this award in the section Crafts by Bokrijk is a bronze, silver or perhaps even a gold award.
All winners are eligible for the Public Gold Award!
☞ VOTE now!
N° 16
Brooch, 2020
Sterling silver, cold enamel
Photography: Simon Debbaut-L'Ecluse
Description Estate Inventory (1851):
« (S. A. R. La princesse Charlotte) - Une broche en or, forme de nœud, ayant pour pendant un cœur en or, enrichi de pierres précieuses; ce cœur qui s’ouvre contient l’œil du Roi peint en miniature. »



This heart-shaped locket was once one of the pieces that most sincerely celebrated the love between Louise and Leopold. The locket dangled underneath a bow-shaped brooch and contained an eye miniature: Leopold’s gaze, which made Louise felt seen, and – hopefully – loved. After Louise’s passing, this love piece was given to the, at the time, ten-year-old princess Charlotte, Louise and Leopold’s youngest child and only daughter. How does a love piece suddenly become a mourning piece? And what if the bereaved one is only just a child? The renewed locket is, therefore, designed to meet the young one’s needs. The remnants of a small Polly Pocket toy – that, in their turn, remind the maker of her own childhood – grasp our attention and tickle our urge to interact with what happens inside. When untied from the clothing and opened, the locket reveals a minute pink universe that invites to play. It encourages to reminisce and to reflect on the love once cherished, yet eventually also enables us to reinvent its content and rewrite its sentimental narrative.





