2025 - Dutch gin bottles and their circulation in the Indian Ocean world, by Nur'Ain Binte Taha
This project focuses on on the production and re-production of a type of objects referred to as “Dutch gin bottles” within the Islamic world, specifically of Mughal India and Safavid Iran, and their global connections to the Dutch Republic during the early modern period. “Dutch gin bottles”, otherwise also known as “case bottles”, are light green in colour, rounded sloping shoulders with a sheared neck and a tooled mouth. These bottles were brought over by the Dutch on their ships and spread across to various parts of the world, especially in the colonies over which the Dutch had political, economic and military authority.
Nur’Ain will study collections of Dutch gin bottles in UK collections, specifically the Victoria and Albert Museum, which originate from the Mughal and Safavid worlds. This visit forms part of her PhD thesis which focuses on the global materiality of
Netherlandish objects from 1600-1800, tentatively titled ‘Crossing Worlds: The Global Materiality of Netherlandish Objects in the Early Modern Period, 1600- 1800.’ Her research explores the global connections of different types of Netherlandish objects by tracing their forms, materials, crafting techniques and the identity of their makers
Nur’Ain is a PhD candidate in Art History at Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Photo credit: Victoria and Albert Museum, Dutch National Library.
