Epaulet van Jhr. Hoeufft, in 1830/32 kapitein bij de afdeling Schutterij 1830 - 1832

This epaulette, made circa 1830, belonged to Jhr. Hoeufft, a captain in the Dutch civic militia. Though anonymous, the maker would have been a skilled textile worker, employing techniques like couching, wrapping, and close knotting to create a dense, shimmering surface. The metallic threads and bullion fringe speak of trade and status; materials that would have been costly and intricate to produce. Think of the labor involved in drawing metal into fine threads, then wrapping them around a core yarn, all to signify military rank. Epaulettes like this blur the line between craft and uniform, displaying the amount of work involved, but also the hierarchical power structures of the 19th century. This object invites us to consider the many hands and processes that contribute to even seemingly straightforward artifacts.