This island castle contains many treasures, and surprisingly some of them are of Chinese origin. Though not very numerous, Brodick Castle has a collection of original Chinese wares, which were subsequently painted and decorated by Dutch artists. The castle possesses various teapots, jars, vases and plates, all plain white porcelain upon leaving Chinese borders in the latter part of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). Once imported to the Netherlands, the pieces that are now in this collection were painted with what may be considered typically Chinese symbols and icons, although they most likely would not have been painted by Chinese artists. This may be helpful when forming an interpretation of how the West viewed China during this period through these artworks, as well as examining the Dutch artistic influence on these pieces.  The decorations on the porcelain are mostly natural scenes with flowers, trees, and birds.