Fles met het opschrift: De wijn ondekt het Geheijm c. 1650 - 1700

Editor: Here we have a Baroque-era glass bottle, likely dating from 1650 to 1700, its author currently unknown. It's inscribed with the phrase "De wijn ondekt het Geheijm," or "Wine discovers the Secret." What social narratives do you see within this object? Curator: I see a complex intersection of class, gender, and even colonial power embedded within this seemingly simple bottle. Consider: Who had access to wine during this period? Certainly not the lower classes. Wine was a luxury, a symbol of wealth and status, largely consumed by men in positions of power. Editor: So, the secret isn’t just about personal truths revealed, but about the social secrets that wine facilitated? Curator: Precisely. It could have been that in the very act of disclosing or making known what one believes is concealed. It could have very easily alluded to trade and class structures, as well as patriarchal cultures during that era. The consumption of wine would loosen inhibitions and lead to what then could have easily have amounted to trade and exploitation and maybe some other form of excesses or transgressions by the dominating upper classes, now brought to light. How does this relate to our understanding of privilege today? Editor: It highlights the ways in which indulgence and secrecy are intertwined with power structures. Today, the wealthy continue to exploit, hide behind carefully constructed personas, and engage in secretive behaviors. Curator: Exactly! And the role of art, even something as seemingly simple as a wine bottle, becomes a powerful tool for understanding and critiquing those power dynamics. Editor: So this bottle serves not just as a container, but as a reminder of ongoing social disparities, very subtle but important. Curator: Yes, a constant negotiation to examine how past social inequities resonate to the modern status quo.