Why did European collectors buy Dehua porcelain during the 17th century?

European collectors bought Dehua porcelain during the 17th century after maritime trade expanded between China and Europe. Dutch East India Company ships carried thousands of ceramic objects into Amsterdam, Lisbon, and London. Wealthy merchants admired the white surface of Dehua porcelain, which differed from colourful majolica and Delftware used across Europe during that period. Inventories from Dutch homes during the 1600s listed Blanc de Chine figures beside silver candlesticks and imported Japanese lacquer. Some collectors treated the Dehua porcelain as luxury decoration rather than religious art. Guanyin statues often stood on mantelpieces inside merchant houses and smaller wine cups and libation vessels entered aristocratic dining rooms. European ceramic factories later copied Dehua porcelain. Meissen artists in Germany examined imported examples during the early 1700s. Saint-Cloud factories in France produced similar white figures soon after, such copies proved the strong influence of Dehua exports on European ceramic taste. Shipwreck discoveries reveal large cargo quantities. Archaeologists studying the Witte Leeuw wreck found Chinese porcelain among silver bullion and trade goods. Historians estimate millions of ceramic pieces travelled westward between 1600 and 1700 through East India trade routes.