This baton (cane) is thought to have belonged to naval hero Maerten Harpertsz Tromp, who died in 1653 during a battle against the English. The silver knob bears his family coat of arms. In 1795 this simple commander’s baton was proclaimed one of the five ‘patriotic memorials’, which together would commemorate the Netherlands’ great past. The baton was prominently displayed in the building of the States-General.