Scheepstimmermanspasser met rechte benen, een ovaal/ronde kop en geen scharnier c. 1590 - 1596

Curator: We’re looking at a c. 1590-1596 tool held in the Rijksmuseum's collection, described as a shipwright's compass, or "Scheepstimmermanspasser," made by an anonymous hand. Editor: Immediately striking. The object possesses a kind of austere elegance, wouldn't you say? Its verticality, the linear nature, gives a sense of precision despite the obvious age. Curator: Yes, there's a directness. I am intrigued by the material. It's obviously been through much; the patination speaks volumes. How might the iron ore from which this compass was forged dictated its initial form, perhaps even its scale? And what of the maker’s workshop? Editor: The creation of this piece seems to require substantial labor—mining, smelting, the smithing itself. Was this the work of a single artisan, or a team dividing the labor? And to consider that labor, were they skilled or considered disposable hands at that time? What determined the value they brought to these functional tools? Curator: That intersection of material origin, and workshop environment, provides a tangible link to its cultural significance. Now, if we think structurally about its simple yet functional construction. The fixed legs denote a specialized purpose, something beyond general measuring, limiting the shapes one can measure—which I suspect are circular forms given ships have rounded edges. Editor: And how many ships did this create? Thinking about the repetitive movements required, it almost takes on a sculptural quality through usage and through the means of creation in hot ironsmithing, it has texture like a Rodin sculpture almost, just far more utilitarian. What sort of aesthetic criteria were shipbuilders using at that time that affected what the instrument form was in the late 1500s. Curator: Fascinating. The compass becomes almost a metonym for shipbuilding itself, representing both a craft and perhaps the geometric rationality underpinning Renaissance naval architecture. And the choice to not make this compass folding, surely a marker of it’s inherent utility for shipbuilding as an everyday tool, instead of being some sort of fine measurement apparatus. Editor: We start considering the role of craftsmanship versus industrial production in those later models, it also speaks to social stratification. It makes me think about a future exhibition looking at maritime expansion—and its legacy through the tools left behind. Curator: For me, this object highlights the beautiful relationship of form following function. Its simplicity makes us appreciate craftsmanship from another age.