Hans Piena: 'Forensic techniques were used to investigate the origin of the foot cuff. Pollen grains, fungal spores and many other small biological and mineralogical particles were found in the dust from cracks and holes in the foot cuff. These were examined to determine the provenance of the object. These techniques in themselves are not new. They are used, for example, in the examination of archaeological soil samples and coprolites (fossilised excrement), but this is the first time such research has been carried out on a museum object.'
Surprise
Why exactly was this foot cuff examined? Piena: ‘At the 2021 exhibition, it was assumed that it was a tronco, made in the Netherlands and intended for use on a Dutch plantation in Brazil. However, it would have always remained in the Netherlands. This caused surprise among a number of people, because you can clearly see that the foot cuff has been used intensively.'
Forensics
This kind of foot cuffs were used in large parts of the world, including Europe. For Piena and his team, this was therefore the perfect time to use the new investigation method. 'We owe a lot to the advice of British forensic investigator Patricia Wiltshire. She is procedurally very well versed, so we knew exactly what we had to do to finally arrive at a picture of place.' He continues: 'We were amazed that the oak tree, from which the foot cuff is made, was only felled around 1825 and we were bouncing when it turned out that the pollen indicated Portugal or Spain as its origin. This foot cuff was not made for Brazil and has nothing to do with the Netherlands. We are rewriting history.'