Haarddeksteen met het wapen van Prins Maurits van Oranje Nassau 1606

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have a rather interesting relief—it's a wooden haarddeksteen, or chimney-piece, bearing the coat of arms of Prince Maurice of Orange-Nassau, and dates back to 1606. What’s your initial response to it? Editor: Somber, definitely. The deep grey of the wood and the eroded detail makes it feel weighty, like it has seen things. You can almost feel the echoes of crackling fires and hushed conversations from centuries ago swirling around it. Curator: Yes, exactly. Functionally, this would have been placed above a fireplace. Stylistically, it's interesting; it sits somewhere between the late Renaissance and early Baroque, particularly evident in the rather bold, almost exaggerated relief. You see those rampant lions either side of the escutcheon? Typical Baroque flourish. Editor: The heraldry is fascinating. The composition, framing a coat of arms, creates a strong sense of power. How would someone in that period read all of that imagery? What would it signify about status, family, and claim to authority? Curator: Well, that shield displays the Nassau family heraldry—complex lineage stuff. But clearly Prince Maurice wanted everyone to see his status. It's pure symbolic theatre! This kind of piece shows how intertwined art and politics were. Everything from the choice of materials to the inclusion of supporting heraldic figures speaks to that desire to portray wealth and nobility. Editor: So much history carved into a single piece of wood. It strikes me as quite amazing that something so utilitarian, designed to sit above a fireplace, also acts as a window into the social and political structures of its time. One almost wonders about all the faces that gazed upon the relief as their kept warm in front of it... Curator: Indeed. It is more than just decoration. As we contemplate this artefact today, we find the whispers of old flames—warm, yet tinged with echoes of grand ambition, captured so subtly, so cleverly, in oak.