East-West trade was later opened up by the East India Company, founded in the seventeenth century, at a time when Chinese handicrafts were at their peak Shipments of fine Chinese porcelain, silk and furniture reaching Europe were snapped up as marvels by royal families and the aristocracy.
到了十七世紀初「東印度公司」成立，開始進行東、西方貿易，這時中國的工藝水準已達巔峰，因此，當一批批精美的瓷器、織錦、傢具運抵歐洲，立即被驚為「天物」，在各皇族貴冑間大為流行。