Le Bleu Des Mers : Dialogues Entre La Chine, La Perse Et L'europe

Exhibition at the Fondation Baur - Musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient, Geneva, 23 November 2017 - 25 February 2017

Relations between the Far East, Asia and Europe intensified with European expansion in the late 15th century.

This book traces the fascinating story of the Portuguese and Dutch discoverers who brought back in the holds of their ships a novelty, blue and white Chinese porcelain, the trade of which was democratised in the 17th century with the Dutch East India Company. In Europe and Persia, these porcelains had a profound influence on the decorative arts. They appear in the miniatures of the Muslim world, then in the still life paintings of the northern schools, revealing the use of this precious ware and its impact on daily life.