This lavishly illustrated book collects papers delivered at the third Gingko conference The Mercantile Effect On art & exchange in the Islamicate world during 17th ?18th centuries Held in Berlin this meeting brought together a group of established & early-career scholars to discuss how the movement of Armenian Indian Chinese Persian Turkish & European merchants & their trade goods spread new ideas & new technologies across Western Asia in the early modern era Through the newly-established Dutch English & French East India companies as well as much older mercantile networks prestigious exotic commodities--silk ivory books glazed porcelains--were transported east & west The collected essays in this volume introduce a fascinating array of not only trade objects but also customs & traditions that bring this period of intense cultural interplay to life