Verklaring van de verkoop van de zeilsteen van Tsaar Peter de Grote aan C. W. J. Baron van Boetselaar, 12 april 1836 Possibly 1836

This document, penned by Hendrik van Ommeren in 1836, details the sale of a piece of sail stone once belonging to Tsar Peter the Great. The writing is executed in iron gall ink, a standard material made from tannin, iron salts, and a binder. You can see how the ink bites into the paper, creating a permanent bond, which ensured the integrity of the record. The calligraphic skill, typical of legal documents of the time, underscores the importance of legible, reproducible script in matters of commerce and governance. Documents like this testify to the growing market for historical artifacts in the 19th century, and the Dutch Republic’s significance in the history of Russian shipbuilding. It speaks to how materials, like this piece of sail stone, acquire value through historical association and are then commodified, bought, and sold as part of an emerging heritage industry. The labor is less in the making than in the recording, archiving, and valuing of history itself. This piece challenges our traditional distinctions between fine art, craft, and the everyday materials of commerce and governance.