Turn of the Sea: Art from the Eastern Trade Routes

This catalogue includes works of art from Africa, India, Sri Lanka, China, and Japan, which travelled to the West via maritime trade routes opened and operated by Europeans, and focuses on the quintessential examples of their time. Totalling 69 entries, this selection ranges from brass works from the Kingdom of Benin to Indian silver filigree, Sinhalese ivory furniture, Chinese porcelain, and Japanese lacquer, among other pieces. By encompassing new symbols, decorative patterns, shapes, functions, materials, and techniques, these works of art were originally intended to fulfil different needs throughout the world and help to document the social transformations that arose from the opening of direct channels of trade. At the same time, all of these works of art embody the theme of intercultural exchange, which led to the creation of new traditions and forms of art that resonate in our ever-more international cultures of today.