Kalfaathamer met één ijzeren ring en gat in het midden c. 1596

Curator: This curious artifact from around 1596 is a caulking mallet, attributed to an anonymous artist, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The object combines carved wood and metal elements. What's your first take on this unusual piece? Editor: It projects such an austerity, almost a sense of depletion. The deep browns and blacks of the wood contrast quite sharply with the single metallic ring, and the way the form gradually tapers feels very deliberate. Curator: A caulking mallet, yes, used to seal seams in wooden ships. Consider the historical weight—ships were vital for trade, exploration, and warfare during the Dutch Golden Age. It evokes the idea of a nation’s prosperity quite strongly. The labor, the maritime expansion. It brings up a sense of movement. Editor: Indeed. Focusing purely on the form, there's an interesting interplay between the solid mass of the wood and the negative space created by that centrally placed hole. The ring itself disrupts the axial flow. Semiotically speaking, you almost have two objects in tension here. Curator: That “hole” in the mallet – it's really the very purpose and center of it. I see it as symbolizing emptiness meeting usefulness. Its purpose of compaction and fitting also means making the ship seaworthy, allowing it to survive turbulent storms at sea. Editor: Precisely. One could apply a Derridean reading, I think. What appears absent — this tool— is paradoxically crucial for function and survival. I wonder about the physical experience of using it, the ergonomics, the heft... the traces of action on it. Curator: What interests me is the anonymous nature of this artist or craftsman. In that era of immense prosperity and production of material culture, we see a lot of that where no specific attribution remains possible. It speaks to the collective endeavor to nation-building. Editor: It’s a stark object that has presence and is almost sculptural despite its utilitarian role. Thanks to our analysis, I will see this object anew the next time I am in the gallery! Curator: Me, too. I hadn’t considered some of those purely visual relationships before. Thanks for enriching this with your expertise.