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We are particularly interested in the art arising from the interaction between western and eastern cultures, subsequent to the Portuguese discoveries and colonization in the East. Indo-Portuguese and Cingalo-Portuguese art deserve pride of place as they developed during a long period of time and attain a high degree of refinement with excelent craftsmen.. Cultural exchanges with China, a more inward looking country at the time, were less intense. The 18th and the19th centuries saw a notable peak of European commissions in particular of porcelain.
Namban art from Japan, during the so called “Christian century” from late 16th century to the mid 17th century, produced works of great artistic merit. Exquisite lacquer items were produced for the Christian church and for the civil society in Portugal and other European countries.
Besides these standard items we often come across more unusual and exceptional items that require further investigation as to their origin and the circumstances they were created. Researching these works of art opens new frontiers and is a challenge to academics, antique dealers and collectors.
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