A Gold-Mounted Enamel and Tortoiseshell Snuff Box, Probably Paris, Early 19th Century

The scene on the lid most likely depicts Pompey burning the letters of Sertorius, the subject of a painting by Louis Fabritius Dubourg in 1766.

During the The Sertorian War (80-72BC) Quintus Sertorius, while fighting against the Roman Senate led by Pompey the Great, was betrayed by one of his generals, Perperna. Later captured by Pompey, Perperna pleaded for his life and offered to hand over all of Sertorius' correspondence which would have implicated many high ranking Roman officials. As described in Plutarch's Life of Sertorius, Pompey accepted the correspondence but publicly burned it without having read any of it, thus averting a prolongation of the war. The act is seen as one of magnanimity and judiciousness.