Duit van Nederlands Indië uit Utrecht met jaartal 1816 1820 - 1822

This copper 'duit' from the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, was minted in Utrecht in 1816 under the reign of King Willem I. This small coin speaks volumes about the vast colonial project of the Dutch Empire. As currency, it facilitated trade and economic control, while simultaneously symbolizing Dutch power and influence in the region. Its existence reminds us of the complex interactions between colonizer and colonized, and the ways in which economic systems were used to exert control. Reflecting on this object, consider the lives of those who were impacted by its circulation; both the Dutch traders and administrators, and the local populations whose labor and resources fueled the colonial economy. This coin is not merely a historical artifact, but a symbol of a complicated and often brutal history of power, exploitation, and cultural exchange.