Door

First sparked by the accounts of Marco Polo's 13th-century voyage to China, the Italian vogue for chinoiserie was later reinforced by the Venetian Republic's extensive trade with the East. The city-state's aristocrats ordered entire rooms to be decorated in Chinese style. This door from the Ca'Rezzonico palace depicts two scenes that provide glimpses of Western perceptions of the East: in the upper panel, a noble couple meets in front of a palm tree; in the lower panel, a pipe-smoking potentate is being served tea.