Early Modern Sensory Exchanges

This talk is in partnership Levantine Heritage Foundation. About the Talk Sensory exchanges in the early modern world occurred through the trade in objects, people, and materials. Chinese porcelain, for example, was gifted to Italian courts by Mamluk and Ottoman sultans, while aromatics from the Middle East and further afield, were sought after by European elites for their pharmacies. Many of these materials were packaged up in beautiful receptacles and accompanied by special utensils for the application and use of these spices and aromatics. How were such materials, scents, and objects utilised by beholders and to what extent did they give rise to cross-cultural exchanges and new transcultural practices? This talk will look at the lifecycle of these objects–their journeys on camel backs and ships, their role as gifts in diplomatic exchanges and objects of trade, and their uses in their new settings.