Museum treasures

Entryway bench with a portrait of Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Tromp

Object: seating, carving, painting

The ornate bench is painted with a depiction of the Öland naval battle of June 1676. The aim had been to regain the Danish coastal provinces of Skåne and Blekinge that had been occupied by Sweden, and regain control of the Sound Tolls (tolls paid by foreign ships passing through the strait between Denmark and Sweden). Lieutenant-Admiral Tromp received this bench from the Amsterdam Admiralty in appreciation of his part in the naval battle.

Proclamation on the tenth penny and twentieth penny

Object: publicatie 1571

The tenth penny was a 10% tax on the sale of movable goods, the first form of VAT, which the Duke of Alva wanted to introduce in the Netherlands. Resistance to this tax and to Spanish oppression marks the beginning of what history knows as the Eighty Years’ War. The coat of arms of Philip II can be seen on the title page.

Capital tax letterbox

Object: letterbox

In 1893, Finance Minister Pierson introduced capital tax. For reasons of confidentiality and privacy, special wrought iron letterboxes were produced for depositing the declarations. These capital tax letterboxes remained hanging in townhalls and tax offices until 1916.