Hangslot c. 1590 - 1596

Curator: Looking at these antique locks and keys, dating from about 1590 to 1596, currently held at the Rijksmuseum, really speaks to the ingenuity of early security mechanisms. Editor: They seem so brutally simple, almost crude. They certainly don't project the kind of high-tech sleekness we associate with security now. Curator: Precisely! This “Hangslot,” or padlock, as we might say, really forces us to consider the materiality of security. It is fashioned, most likely, from wrought iron by an anonymous smith. Editor: The craftsmanship itself becomes a historical text, doesn't it? Considering who made them, where the materials were sourced, even the act of shaping this very unforgiving material. The labor speaks. What could these have been protecting? Personal valuables? Architectural features of wealthy houses? Curator: Perhaps even more symbolically significant was the concept of controlled access, very crucial in a period of establishing international trade. This object exists within the history of trade networks. You consider the expansion of colonial exploits that the Dutch empire was heavily engaged in and such simple things might have huge geopolitical effects. Editor: It's fascinating how something so small embodies the politics of property and exclusion. A lock isn't just about keeping something safe; it’s also about power: who gets to control what. Was it only about theft? Did political censorship enter the arena? Did these instruments work as psychological coercion through threat and actual oppression? Curator: I see them as more than merely functional objects, really—their forms are practically sculptural. It makes you wonder about the intersection of craft, design, and artistic expression during that period. Editor: Well, after looking closer I can tell that although at first glance these locks and keys do indeed appear crude, these little, rather scary, rusty relics possess significant implications far exceeding any possible visual satisfaction. Curator: Indeed, thinking through the various uses of these objects from that era opens up different views of how they functioned socially.