Rifle for stalking c. 1680 - 1690

This rifle for stalking was made by Jan Nelleman around 1690, here in the Netherlands. While at first glance, it may seem an unusual inclusion in a museum, we should remember that institutions such as this very one are always telling a story about their times. What does it mean to display a rifle like this? The Dutch in the late 17th century were a dominant mercantile power, and goods from all over the world flowed through their ports. A rifle like this speaks to the social and economic power of the Dutch upper classes. Only a wealthy person would have owned such a finely crafted object purely for sport. The materials alone would have been very expensive. As historians, we can look to sources like trade records, tax documents and personal papers to better understand the world from which this object came, and the role it played in society.