When East Meets West Part I

CFT Lai
Apr 15
5 min read

Updated: May 11

The Fascinating Journey of Chinese Porcelain in Early 17th Century Netherlands

Almost everyone in the Netherlands has seen Chinese porcelain—whether in a Chinese restaurant, an antique shop, or places like Kunstmuseum Den Haag or Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (See Figure 1). It has become an organic part of Dutch society, blending with baroque interiors and dining traditions. However, Rome wasn't built in a day, and this blend-in process, both intentional and unintentional, took centuries (and is still ongoing). Today, in the first of this two-part column series, I’d like to give you a brief overview of how Chinese porcelain entered the Dutch market between 1600 and 1650.

Figure 1: Unknown, A Vase, artist unknown, Porcelain, H12 x D10 cm, Author’s private collection.

Figure 2: Anthony van Dyck, Portrait of Amalia van Solms-Braunfels, Princess of Orange (1602-1675), 1630, oil on canvas, 112 x 94cm, Wikimedia Foundation.

The story begins in 1567 at a beautiful castle in Breda, where Willem the Silent (1533–1584), Prince of Orange, cherished two pieces of Asian porcelain: one white and one blue, both adorned with European-style silver. It's unclear how these porcelain pieces were displayed in the castle, but this marked the start of the House of Orange's collection of Chinese porcelain. In the seventeenth century, the porcelain collection expanded, especially after the Dutch East India Company (VOC) began importing Chinese porcelain on a large scale. Aristocratic families in the Low Countries now had greater opportunities to collect these exotic items. Amalia of Solms (1602-1675) (See Figure 2), Countess of Braunfels and wife of Prince Frederick Henry of Orange (1584-1647), gathered a large collection of Chinese porcelain in her “lakkamer” (lacquer room). This idea eventually led to the creation of the “porseleinkamer” (porcelain room), which became a prominent feature in many European palaces. Dutch art historian C. W. Fock even claimed that Amalia was one of the first to use porcelain as a key decorative element in interior design, a trend that didn't appear in England until the 1640s.

Figure 3: Johannes the Fisherman, Portrait of Louise de Coligny (1555-1620), wife of William I (1533-1584), Prince of Orange, 1677, Engraving, Wikimedia Foundation.

In addition to Amalia of Solms, her mother-in-law, Louise de Coligny (1555–1620) (See Figure 3), also built an impressive collection that included 283 porcelain objects, alongside 89 pieces of Roman pottery and a cup carved from rhinoceros horn. This trend of collecting porcelain and other rare items was happening not only in the Dutch court but also in many other European courts. But why? To understand this, we should look at the ideas of the Flemish physician Samuel Quiccheberg (1529–1567). Besides being a physician, Quiccheberg also worked as an art advisor to Albert V, Duke of Bavaria (1528-1579). He introduced a system to categorize objects into four groups: artefacta, naturalia, exotica, and scientifica. In simple terms, artefacta refers to rare objects created by human hands; naturalia refers to rare objects produced by nature; exotica includes rare items from distant lands like Asia, America, and Africa; and scientifica pertains to scientific instruments. Quiccheberg believed these objects were essential for understanding the world. In this framework, Chinese porcelain belonged to the category of exotica, just like the featherwork of the Aztecs in America and the Tikar horn from Africa. This desire to collect and display exotica reflected a broader curiosity and appreciation for the wonders of the world, making porcelain a significant part of many aristocratic collections across Europe. In my opinion, Amalia's lakkamer is a modified version of this idea.

It's important to note that while European monarchs sought Chinese porcelain, they did not have unlimited access once they arrived at the port of Canton (Nowadays Guangzhou, China). The trade was a two-sided process; the Chinese merchants also aimed to sell its porcelain abroad. In 1602, the Dutch East India Company was established, replacing Portugal as the leading player in Asian trade, a position it held until its dissolution in 1798. During the lifetime of Amalia of Solms (1602-1675), there are records of orders from the Dutch East India Company that highlight the demand for Chinese porcelain. The number of Chinese porcelain ordered by the Dutch grew more than threefold over three decades, from 108,200 pieces in 1608 to 355,800 pieces in 1644. To attract more Western customers, Chinese merchants even took special requests. In 1635, a letter from the Governor of Taiwan to the Council in Amsterdam mentioned that to help Chinese porcelain makers understand Dutch tableware, Dutch merchants gave them samples from the Netherlands, including a beaker, cooler, salt cellar, and mustard pot. Even though these samples were made of wood, the Chinese merchants said they could copy the shapes. One of my favourite examples is the Chinese blue and white porcelain plate known as the "Riot of Rotterdam," created during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1662-1722). This plate depicts a scene from an uprising that occurred in 1690 in the city of Rotterdam in the then-called Dutch Republic.

Before reaching a final conclusion, I would like to summarize part of my article with the ideas from Professor Anne Gerritsen, Chair of Asian Art at Leiden University.

In the fifteenth century, high-quality Chinese porcelain arrived in Europe as ambassadorial gifts. By the sixteenth century, these exquisite pieces were then made for Portuguese royalty and nobility. In the seventeenth century, Dutch consumers sought finely crafted porcelain with intricate shapes, sizes, and decorative designs. By the eighteenth century, porcelain shipments became more standardized. From this time onward, Chinese porcelain became a common feature in Dutch households—even Amsterdam’s orphanage had some pieces.

The widespread presence of Chinese porcelain in the seventeenth-century Netherlands was driven by two main factors. First, the Dutch upper class appreciated these items for their craftsmanship, exotic appeal, and the ideas they represented. Second, some Chinese merchants wanted to make the porcelain trade possible with the Netherlands and other European countries. The style of Chinese porcelain later influenced Dutch merchants, leading to the establishment of Royal Delft in 1653 (under the name “De Porceleyne Fles”), which remains one of the most renowned porcelain factories in the world. If you want to know more about the stories of Chinese porcelain, the shape and the style of different Chinese porcelains, especially from the 17th century onwards, and other aspects of Chinese culture, make sure to subscribe to Foreign Tales’ newsletter. See you next time!

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References

Treanor, V. (2014). “Une abondance extra ordinaire”: The Porcelain Collection of Amalia van Solms.

Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Porcelain Fever: The Wondrous Origins of European Porcelain.

Greenhill, Museums and the Shaping of Knowledge.

Suermondt-ludwig-museum, Corals and coconuts. Retrieved from 29 February 2025.

Suen, Chinese style, Western style, and Japanese style. Retrieved from 29 February 2025.

Lu, Recognizing the Chinese Export Ceramics in the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties through the Unearthed Trade Ceramics Found in Taiwan and Overseas Area.

The British Antique Dealers' Association, Chinese blue and white Riot of Rotterdam plate, Kangxi (1662-1722). Retrieved from 29 February 2025.

Gerritsen, The City of Blue and White: Chinese Porcelain and the Early Modern World. 220.

Royal Delft Museum, History. Retrieved from 29 February 2025.

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