Inspired by Japan and China


The delicacy, purity, and exotic beauty of Chinese and Japanese porcelain captivated all of Europe, where it was exported in large quantities during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Porcelain’s allure inspired quests to unlock the secrets of its manufacture. European potters strove to imitate and adapt these Asian imports. This impact on European ceramics is superbly illustrated by the collection donated to the Asian Civilisations Museum by Mr and Mrs Toshio Egawa.

 The collection formed by the Egawas, a Japanese couple with long ties to Singapore, highlights the confluence of East and West. The individual objects, of fascinating design, represent a slice of history and reveal the economic and artistic interactions of the period.