Makelaarsstok van Jan Mooij c. 1737

This broker's stick was made by Bernardus Leeking, likely in the early 1700s, from wood and silver. The handle, turned on a lathe, shows the natural grain of the wood, while the silver caps are finely engraved. The stick represents the authority of a broker, an important figure in the booming Dutch economy. As a go-between for merchants, a broker needed to project integrity and trustworthiness. The materials speak to this, combining the groundedness of wood with the gleam of precious metal. Consider the processes involved: woodworking and silversmithing, both highly skilled trades. The techniques showcase human ingenuity, in shaping raw materials into objects of status. The wooden handle is comfortable to hold, while the silver caps are cold and hard, lending the object weight and presence. In its own way, this unassuming object reflects the intense energies of global trade, and the many hands that made it possible. It reminds us that even the simplest artifact embodies complex social relations.