Objects raised from the wreck of Vrouw Maria

A metal ingot, which has been analysed to be zinc. The manufacturer of this item is still unknown

A clay bottle, which has been identified to be manufactured probably in Grenzau in the 1760s. This kind of bottles contained at least originally mineral water from the mineral springs owned by the electoral prince of Trier.

Three clay tobacco pipes, which have been identified to be Dutch pipes made in Gouda in the middle of the 18th century.

A lead seal having text "Fabrica di W (D)aniel Veld & Figl. - Leyden". Most probably this seal originates from a packing of cloth made in Leiden. The dating of this seal is still unclear.

After the wreck was found, a tack block that had been attached to the starboard side of the ship had come off and fallen on the bottom of the sea. To documentate the ship’s hull is one of our main tasks this year, and we decided to raise the tack block since it may give us important information about the shape of the hull.

A glass bottle was raised because it was in danger of getting broken. A wooden tap near the bottle was raised at the same time. According to PhD, researcher Georg Haggrén the round-bellied, onion-shaped bottle can be dated to the beginning of the 18th century. The bottle type was in great use during the first quarter of the 18th century. The glass is of brown or green colour, and it has a capacity of approximately 0,5 litres. Bottles of this type were manufactured especially in Germany and in the Netherlands. When compared to the bottles that were manufactured at the end of the 18th century, this type of a bottle was very practical out at sea. It stands upright much better than flat or cylindrical bottles. Even though the bottle type is somewhat old concerning the date of the shipwreck of Vrouw Maria, it is not in contradiction with the age of the wreck. The bottle may have been in use for a long time or it could have been manufactured only a short time before it was taken aboard.