Musketmaat zonder leren onderkant en zonder dop c. 1590 - 1596

This object is a musket measure, made anonymously, without a leather bottom or cap. This simple object speaks volumes about the militaristic culture that shaped much of early modern Europe. Though small, this tool played a role in larger dynamics of colonialism, conflict, and control. It reminds us to consider the hands that wielded these weapons, and those who suffered under them. An interesting thought experiment is to imagine it not only as an instrument of power, but as an object of labor. It serves as a quiet witness to the lives of soldiers and the often-invisible hands that produced and maintained their arms. As we consider our relationship to instruments of war, what responsibility do we have to the individuals and communities impacted by the production and use of such objects?