Box with iron, steel and ore samples

Aall & Sons (mentioned on object), c. 1860 - c. 1870

The Royal Netherlands Navy was dependent on supplies of raw materials from abroad to build its new steel ships. This wooden tray contains samples of iron, steel and iron ore from a Norwegian ironworks. Eight bars of steel have been numbered according to their hardness. Also in the tray are a number of iron samples, pieces broken off a heavy iron bar, a strip of cemented iron and the results of two bend tests.

  • Artwork typesample
  • Object numberNG-MC-1188
  • Dimensionsheight 7.3 cm x width 41 cm x depth 33.2 cm
  • Physical characteristicswood, iron, ore and paper

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • Box Containing Samples of Iron Ore, Iron and Steel
    • Box with iron, steel and ore samples

  • Object type

  • Object number

    NG-MC-1188

  • Description

    Rechthoekige open houten lade met elf vakjes, waarin monsters van ijzer, staal en ijzererts. De staal- en ijzermonsters bestaan uit een groep van acht stalen staven (twee ontbreken), genummerd van 1 tot 10 in oplopende hardheid; twee ijzermonsters, één gegoten in zand en de ander in coquille; twee afgebroken stukken van een zware stalen balk; een strip gecementeerd ijzer; twee buigproeven.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    • inscription, on the steel bar samples: ‘AALL & SONS / CAST STEEL, / WARRANTED.’
    • inscription, on a seperate note: ‘Gegoten staal / Noorwegen Staal in staven / Nº 1 het zachtste / en zoo opklimmende / tot Nº 10 het hardste / Noorwegen IJzer gegoten / in zand / Noorwegen Hetzelfde in een / Coquille / Noorwegen bandijzer Solberg erts / magneetijzer steen 90% / Hornblende 10 % / Noorwegen Castgruber erts / magneetijzer steen 50% / Hornblende 20 % / [Brains]granaat 25% / Koolzùre kalk 5% / Noorwegen Langtor erts / magneetijzer steen 40% / Gilbgranaat 50% / Koolzùre kalk 10% / Noorwegen Verhouding van de / ertsen, voor te smelten / 40 pd Solberg / 72 - Castgruber / 188 - Langtor’

  • Part of catalogue

Creation

  • Creation

    manufacturer: Aall & Sons (mentioned on object), Norway

  • Dating

    c. 1860 - c. 1870

  • Search further with

Material and technique

  • Physical description

    wood, iron, ore and paper

  • Dimensions

    height 7.3 cm x width 41 cm x depth 33.2 cm

Explanatory note

  • De drie ijzerertsmonsters zijn op goed geluk uit NG-MC-1093 overgenomen, waarin meer monsters aangetroffen werden dan de inventaris vernoemt.

This work is about

  • Subject

  • Place

Acquisition and rights

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

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

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  • Related

Persistent URL

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Aall & Sons

Box Containing Samples of Iron Ore, Iron and Steel

Norway, c. 1860 - c. 1870

Inscriptions

  • inscription, on the steel bar samples:AALL & SONS / CAST STEEL, / WARRANTED.
  • inscription, on a seperate note:Gegoten staal / Noorwegen Staal in staven / Nº 1 het zachtste / en zoo opklimmende / tot Nº 10 het hardste / Noorwegen IJzer gegoten / in zand / Noorwegen Hetzelfde in een / Coquille / Noorwegen bandijzer Solberg erts / magneetijzer steen 90% / Hornblende 10 % / Noorwegen Castgruber erts / magneetijzer steen 50% / Hornblende 20 % / [Brains]granaat 25% / Koolzùre kalk 5% / Noorwegen Langtor erts / magneetijzer steen 40% / Gilbgranaat 50% / Koolzùre kalk 10% / Noorwegen Verhouding van de / ertsen, voor te smelten / 40 pd Solberg / 72 - Castgruber / 188 - Langtor

Provenance

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

Object number: NG-MC-1188

Entry

Oblong open wooden box, divided into eleven compartments, containing iron, steel and iron ore samples.

The three samples of iron ore have been removed at random from NG-MC-1093, which contained more samples than the original inventory mentioned.1J.M. Obreen et al., handwritten inventory list for items 944 to 1431, 1884, manuscript in HNA 476 RMA, inv. no. 1089, no. 1093. The samples of iron and steel originally consisted of ten bars (two are now missing), numbered from 1 to 10 in increasing order of hardness; two samples of cast steel, one cast in sand and the other in coquille; two samples of a heavy steel bar, broken; a strip of case-hardened steel; two bent iron bars.

Literature

J.M. Obreen et al., handwritten inventory list for items 944 to 1431, 1884, manuscript in HNA 476 RMA, inv. no. 1089, no. 1188

Citation

J. van der Vliet, 2016, 'Aall & Sons, Box Containing Samples of Iron Ore, Iron and Steel, Norway, c. 1860 - c. 1870', in J. van der Vliet and A. Lemmers (eds.), Navy Models in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/200316096

(accessed 23 mei 2026 23:40:31 UTC+0).

Footnotes

  • 1J.M. Obreen et al., handwritten inventory list for items 944 to 1431, 1884, manuscript in HNA 476 RMA, inv. no. 1089, no. 1093.