An enduring witness to Dutch-Japanese relations is Arita export porcelain made for the Dutch market in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was instrumental in ordering and distributing a variety of export wares. Private trade also played an important role. This resulted in the importation of large amounts of Japanese porcelain into The Netherlands, particularly during a period when Chinese porcelain was not available. These objects were assimilated into Dutch life and they stimulated the interest in exotica from the Orient. While many of these exquisite pieces have...