Page 30 - Export Porcelain and Globakization- GOOD READ

played a bigger role for the VOC than for the EIC. EIC statistics are rather broad and
list the number of chests and the purchase price, rather than exact numbers of pieces.
The VOC statistics are somewhat extraordinary also from an artistic point of view.
Not only has the exact number of pieces been recorded, but also details about the form,
the use and the decoration. For the year 1770 we can read inter alia the following:
Imports from Canton 1770 by five Dutch VOC ships Willem de Vijfde, Princes van
Oranje, Bodt, Jonge Hellingman and Burgh

If one would count cups and saucers separately the number would be around 1.6
million. To be more exact one could also calculate each piece of a service or of the
garniture. This shows the difficulties in getting an estimation of the number of pieces
exported. Koninckx counts each cup and saucer separately and comes to the
incredible number of 33.8 million pieces imported by the Swedish SOIC between
44
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1732 and 1766 , and another 11.3 million for the third octroi until 1786 . In the end,
all attempts to get exact figures will be in vain, since the statistics are incomplete or
measure different aspects such as purchase value, selling price, weight, pieces or
services, chests or barrels. Table 2 summarizes the most likely numbers of imports. As
a rule of thumb, one can estimate that 3,000 taels (112 kg of pure silver or £1,000)
was about 100,000 pieces and that VOC and EIC East Indiamen ships transported
approximately 200,000 pieces per voyage back to Europe. SOIC and Danish ships
were bigger than those of the VOC and EIC, and have transported more pieces per
ship than the other companies. But their lists give us much more information. One

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