Describe the style of the Chinese porcelain or "china" that was so popular among Europeans by the beginning of the mid-seventeenth century. What did it look like? Where and how was it made?
Brooks mentions the number of Chinese porcelain dishes that the VOC (the Dutch East India Trading Company) delivered to Europe during the first half of the seventeenth century. What figure (number) does he give?
How was Chinese porcelain "intercultural"? Give an example of how such pieces were cultural "hybrids."
What was the name of the most successful "china" imitations within Europe? Who could afford these pieces?
Decorative objects and goods did not simply go from China to Europe. Give an example of European items circulating within China.
Why were the Dutch (and Europeans more generally) so fascinated by Chinese porcelain during this period? Why did they want to own these items? Think beyond simply the aesthetic: what did these goods represent?