Stoof c. 1649 - 1689

This 'stoof', or foot stove, was made out of silver by Boele Rijnhout in the Netherlands, sometime in the 17th century. A stoof like this would have contained a small container of hot coals that would warm one's feet. This stoof's small size and silver construction speaks to the material culture of the Dutch elite in the Golden Age. We can see the stoof's cubic structure, ornamentation, and precious material as a signifier of wealth and refinement, but also think of the ways that dress and hygiene operated as markers of class identity. Consider the 'politics of cleanliness' in the period and how it reflected on the social structure of the Netherlands at that time. Historians can deepen their understanding of pieces like this by consulting costume and social histories, and merchants' inventories to discover the networks of trade and exchange through which these rare materials were acquired.