Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500-1800

The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama set sail for the Indies in 1497 on a quest for ‘Christians and Spices’.

Discovering the sea route to India led to the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures which have subsequently been fascinated with one another.

Once the seeds were planted by maritime exploration and nurtured by marine trade, the continuing desire for and appeal of the exotic has shaped the material culture of both regions.

This compelling story is presented through richly illustrated essays from 27 international scholars which reveal the appeal of the foreign in both Asia and Europe.

The first section of the book, Discoveries, explores the western fascination for the materials and technologies of Asia, which existed even before direct contact was established. It charts the route that early Europeans took to the Indies, their mapping of Asia, and the new, vibrant and sophisticated worlds they found there.

Encounters portrays the complex and often humorous meeting of peoples from East and West in various different spheres, from highly formalised court audiences to intimate relationships. The exotic visitors from the West aroused great curiosity in Asia, as is seen in the many Asian depictions of the foreigners and their ships. This section also explores how these pale-skinned, strangely dressed barbarians were perceived in the East and how images of them were appropriated into existing Asian iconographies.

The final section of the book, Exchanges, explores cross-influences in taste, technology and the world of goods. In Europe there was an immediate demand for luxuries such as porcelain, lacquer and textiles made in Asia but suited to western living. In Asia it was European technology that was sought after. Clocks, guns, maps and lenses were all imported and simulated by different Asian cultures.

Through the exchange of objects East and West tasted and experienced the other. This shared fascination culminated in the creation of architectural fantasies where dreams of exotic other worlds could be realised.

Encounters includes 360 colour and 20 black and white illustrations, some showing items never before seen in print.

Also included are a chronology, object list, bibliography, full list of contributors and a detailed index.

This book’s editors are both members of staff at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Dr Amin Jaffer is a Curator in the Asian Department and an expert on furniture in early colonial India.

Anna Jackson is acting Deputy Keeper of the Asian Department, with a main research interest in the cultural relationship between East Asia and the West.

For further information on the Exhibition contact: r. ward@vam. ac. Uk

Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500-1800
Edited by Anna Jackson & Amin Jaffer.
Published by V&A Publications.
ISBN 1 85177 432
Hardback, 396 pages.
Price £45