Epauletten van H.L. Frans, 1e luitenant bij het 1e bataljon veldartillerie, veldbatterij No 12. 1800 - 1830

These are the epaulettes of H.L. Frans, a first lieutenant in the field artillery. While the maker is unknown, these objects speak volumes about identity, status, and the theater of war. Consider what these gilded adornments signified in the social hierarchy of the military and the broader colonial context. The Dutch army, often drawn from a broad range of social classes, used such finery to visually establish power and authority, both amongst themselves and over colonized populations. The weight of these symbols is palpable; they represent not just individual rank, but the systemic structures of power and control. These epaulettes, worn in service of colonial interests, invite us to consider how individual identity is both formed and constrained by the machinery of the state. They stand as a potent reminder of the human cost of conflict, and the ways in which personal histories are woven into larger narratives of empire and resistance.