Brok concretie uit V.O.C.-schip de 'Witte Leeuw' before 1613

This concretion of ship's ballast, dating from before 1613, was recovered from the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) ship "White Lion" ("Witte Leeuw"). Ballast was used to stabilize ships, often composed of stones or other dense materials, and in this case, the concretion formed over time through the accumulation of layers of sediment. The concretion is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum, and provides tangible evidence of the history of Dutch maritime trade.