Model of a 30-Pounder Gun 1835

This is a wooden model of a 30-pounder gun, made by the Rijkswerf Amsterdam. The model is a visual shorthand for the crucial importance of naval power in Dutch society. By the 17th century, the Dutch Republic had become a major maritime power, with a vast trading network and a large navy to protect its interests. Naval dockyards like Rijkswerf Amsterdam were crucial institutions, and their commissioning of a work like this suggests the importance of models in the transfer of knowledge. The gun itself represents the cutting edge of military technology at the time. The Dutch navy played a key role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as in global trade and colonialism. This model is a potent symbol of Dutch power. To understand this artwork fully, we can look to archival documents, naval records, and other historical sources. Only then can we grasp the full social and institutional context in which it was made.