Page 16 - Export Porcelain and Globakization- GOOD READ

thing leads to another. And all of it can be done without any money from the
Netherlands and with ships alone. [...] We have the most important spices already. [...]
Hence gentlemen and good administrators, there is nothing to prevent the Company
from acquiring the richest trade in the world.”
Nevertheless, the VOC had its difficulties accessing the Chinese market directly.
Even though the Dutch tried to conquer Macao and to force the Chinese authorities of
the Ming dynasty to open ports for direct trade, they finally had to rely on Chinese
middlemen in the above mentioned entrepots. During the first two decades of the 17th
century, Chinese silk and porcelain were acquired in Banten and Patani where
Chinese migrant communities have established the junk trade for spices and other
goods from India and South East Asia. The first Dutch import of Chinese porcelain
took place in 1604 and lasted until 1657 when the Chinese civil war between the new
Qing dynasty and Ming loyalists ended most porcelain production and trade for about
25 years.
In 1622, the VOC settled near the Chinese coast on the Pescadores Islands (Penghu)
in the Taiwan Strait and moved two years later to Formosa (Taiwan) where they build
Fort Zeelandia. Formosa until then hadn’t been part of the Ming Empire and most of
its population, like most habitants of the Malay Archipelago, belonged to the
Austronesian ethnic groups. The Dutch ruled the southern part of Formosa for 38
years and took advantage of the short distance to mainland China (Fuzhou and
Xiamen) enabling a vibrant junk trade or sailing directly to Zhangzhou (漳州 called
“River of Chincheuw” in the original documents of the VOC). The possession on
Taiwan was one of the most profitable for the VOC in Asia. From there the VOC has
organized the silver-silk trade with Japan when Japan closed its ports to Portuguese
vessels. Most of the Chinese porcelain imports of the VOC were handled through
Zeelandia and then sent via Batavia towards Amsterdam. Alternatively, inner Asian
markets were addressed: Porcelain next to other commodities was shipped to VOC
trading posts in Persia (Bandar Abbas), to Surat in India, to the Ottoman Mocha on
the Arab peninsula, to Ayutthaya – capital of Siam, Tonkin or Hoi An (Quinam) in
Vietnam or to Lovek – the capital of the Khmer (see map 3).
The daily reports (Dagh-Registers) of the VOC officials give us a detailed overview
of the trading activities between the various VOC factories in Batavia, on Formosa, in
Hirado (near Nagasaki), in Ayutthaya and Tonkin. The daily report of the Governor in
Batavia on December 12th 1644, for example, mentions the arrival of the VOC ship
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Saayer from Formosa with 202,332 pieces of miscellaneous porcelain . The invoice
of the ship lists accurately all types and shapes of porcelain including flasks, flower
pots, wine-jugs, beakers, mustard-pots, saucers, cups, bowls, dishes, platters etc. and
even gives the exact number such as 9,070 klapmutsen (the Dutch name for large
bowls – see plate 47), 10,485 bowls, 15,695 dishes, 33,020 red tea-cups etc. In total
the price was 37,987 Dutch guilders (florin fl.) resulting in an average of about 0.18 fl.
per piece. One Dutch guilder at that time was approximately 10.8 g silver or 0.29 tael
– the Chinese silver based currency - which brings the porcelain cargo to an
equivalent of 410 kg of silver. The list indicates clearly that most of the cargo was
porcelain for daily use and most of it got broken and/or lost in Europe over the
centuries. The dishes and platters came in different sizes from 50 cm diameter (hele
schotel), 29-36 cm (see plate 45) (halve schotel), to 21-23 cm (een-derde), and can be
found depicted in early 17th century Dutch and Flemish still life paintings (see picture
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no 4) . Nowadays mostly half-size dishes and klapmutsen can be found in collections
and on the antique market.

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