Bottle 1685

This transparent glass bottle, adorned with subtle engraved decorations, can be found here in the Rijksmuseum. While we don’t know who made it or precisely when, everyday objects like this bottle, particularly from the 17th and 18th centuries, offer a fascinating glimpse into the social life of the Dutch Republic. The glass itself would have been a valuable commodity, reflecting sophisticated trade networks, while the bottle’s contents and use would speak to changing habits of consumption. The very existence of a museum like the Rijksmuseum – with its emphasis on Dutch national identity – shapes how we view such an object today. Once simply a vessel, it now exists as a cultural artifact, its meaning shifting with each generation of viewers and scholars. By delving into archival records, trade histories, and material culture studies, we can begin to understand the complex web of social and economic forces that brought this bottle into being, and how its meaning continues to evolve within the walls of this institution.