Fragment van een pijpenkop uit het wrak van de Oost-Indiëvaarder 't Vliegend Hart Possibly 1700 - 1735

This fragment of a pipe bowl, marked 'WS', is from the wreckage of the Dutch East India ship 't Vliegend Hart. The object is viewed against a neutral background; its broken form and aged texture communicate a sense of loss and survival. The composition emphasizes the fragment's materiality through its contrasting colors and fractured lines. The bowl's yellow and gray hues are muted, a testament to its time spent underwater. This restrained palette evokes a melancholic mood. Its form, once whole, now broken, destabilizes our expectation of completeness, challenging fixed notions of value and perfection. Consider how the fragment's presence invites us to contemplate the narratives it withholds. As a relic of maritime trade, it represents complex cultural exchanges and colonial histories. The broken form serves as a reminder that objects, like memories, can become fragmented, yet they continue to resonate with meaning.