Captured Ordnance

anonymous, c. 1750 - c. 1850

After Java was brought entirely under Dutch rule during the Java War (1825–1830), the Dutch sought to gain control of the other Indonesian islands as well. Various military expeditions were mounted to force the rulers of these islands to recognize Dutch authority. These cannons were seized during those battles. One is an old Dutch East India Company cannon of 1667.

  • Artwork typelilla
  • Object numberNG-MC-1357
  • Dimensionstotal: length 144.5 cm x diameter 16 cm, length 15 cm, length 129.5 cm, calibre 36 mm x weight 70 kg
  • Physical characteristicsbronze, bamboo and rattan

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • Captured Ordnance
    • Swivel Gun

  • Object type

  • Object number

    NG-MC-1357

  • Description

    Bronzen voorlader op mik. De loop is gevat in twee stukken bamboe van monding tot zundgat en geheel met rotan omwoeld. De ronde loop heeft een trompetvormige monding en het achtergedeelte is dikker. De staart is hol voor een houten richtstok. Op de monding een richtknop. De ogen van de mik zijn geheel om de de tappen heen gesmeed, zodat het stuk niet uit de mik getild kan worden.

  • Part of catalogue

Creation

  • Creation

    gun founder: anonymous, Indonesian Archipelago (possibly)

  • Dating

    c. 1750 - c. 1850

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    bronze, bamboo and rattan

  • Dimensions

    • total: length 144.5 cm x diameter 16 cm
    • length 15 cm
    • length 129.5 cm
    • calibre 36 mm x weight 70 kg

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    ...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883

Documentation

Persistent URL

Questions?

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anonymous

Swivel Gun

? Indonesian Archipelago, c. 1750 - c. 1850

Provenance

...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883

Object number: NG-MC-1357

Entry

Bronze muzzle-loading gun on a swivel.

The barrel is almost entirely swathed in rattan with two pieces of bamboo spanning from muzzle to vent. It has a trumpet-shaped round muzzle and the barrel thickens at the first reinforcement. The gun has a tubular hollow cascable button to fit a wooden tiller. On the muzzle a sight button is positioned. The eyes of the bronze yoke are forged around the trunnions, so that the gun cannot be removed from the yoke.

The identification of this gun remains uncertain: the overall length does not agree with the inventory description, although the length from muzzle to breech and the calibre do.

Literature

J.M. Obreen et al., handwritten inventory list for items 944 to 1431, 1884, manuscript in HNA 476 RMA, inv. no. 1089, no. 1357

Citation

J. van der Vliet, 2016, 'anonymous, Swivel Gun, Indonesian Archipelago, c. 1750 - c. 1850', in J. van der Vliet and A. Lemmers (eds.), Navy Models in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/20018653

(accessed 2 augustus 2026 22:03:54 UTC+0).