Caltrop

anonymous, c. 1700 - c. 1858

Caltrops or crow’s feet were scattered on the deck of ships to impede boarders. This specimen has barbs. Other types have four sharp points.

  • Artwork typecaltrop
  • Object numberNG-MC-744-1
  • Dimensionsheight 9 cm x width 9 cm x depth 9 cm
  • Physical characteristicsiron

anonymous

Caltrop

Netherlands, c. 1700 - c. 1858

Provenance

…; collection Jochem Pietersz Asmus (1765-1837), Amsterdam, 1807;1HNA 2.01.29.02 Dept. Marine, Aanhangsel I, inv. no. 20, La. H no. 24. Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, 1837;2After the death of Asmus in 1837 models from his private collection remained in the Navy Model Room in The Hague and were henceforth considered an integral part of the collection of the Department of the Navy. transferred to the museum, 1883

Object number: NG-MC-744-1

Entry

This caltrop consists of four points placed in a tetrahedron and barbed pins. The older one is corroded.

In his catalogue Obreen mentions only one caltrop,3J.M. Obreen, Catalogus der verzameling modellen van het Departement van Marine, The Hague 1858, no. 744. but two were found (see NG-MC-744-2). Jochem Pietersz Asmus (1755-1837) mentions a caltrop in his private collection in 1807.4HNA 2.01.29.02 Dept. Marine, Aanhangsel I, inv. no. 20, La. H no. 24.

Literature

J.M. Obreen, Catalogus der verzameling modellen van het Departement van Marine, The Hague 1858, no. 744

Citation

J. van der Vliet, 2016, 'anonymous, Caltrop, Netherlands, c. 1700 - c. 1858', in J. van der Vliet and A. Lemmers (eds.), Navy Models in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/200315892

(accessed 5 December 2025 15:52:33).

Footnotes

  • 1HNA 2.01.29.02 Dept. Marine, Aanhangsel I, inv. no. 20, La. H no. 24.
  • 2After the death of Asmus in 1837 models from his private collection remained in the Navy Model Room in The Hague and were henceforth considered an integral part of the collection of the Department of the Navy.
  • 3J.M. Obreen, Catalogus der verzameling modellen van het Departement van Marine, The Hague 1858, no. 744.
  • 4HNA 2.01.29.02 Dept. Marine, Aanhangsel I, inv. no. 20, La. H no. 24.