Koffiekan, balustervormig, met drie kranen 1717

This is a silver coffee pot with a baluster shape and three spouts, crafted by Christiaan Warenberg, who lived between 1667 and 1747. Think about the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries, a time when the Netherlands was a major player in global trade. Silver objects like this weren't just functional items, they were potent symbols of wealth and status. Coffee itself, once a rare and exotic commodity, became increasingly popular among the elite. Consider, too, the legacy of colonialism inextricably linked to this luxurious coffee pot. The coffee it once held was likely harvested by enslaved people in distant lands, so this object is both beautiful and deeply implicated in the history of exploitation. What stories might this coffee pot tell if it could speak? Of intimate gatherings, hushed conversations, and the silent labor upon which its beauty was built.