When political turmoil in China prevented Dutch traders from filling European orders for decorative porcelains, they turned to the budding porcelain industry in Japan. Between the mid-seventeeth and mid-eighteenth century, vast quantities of brilliantly colored wares were exported abroad. At the same time, the Japanese themselves also developed a taste for porcelain. This bowl was undoubtedly made for the domestic market as it features amusing depictions of exotic foreigners.