The book "Treasure Ships: Art in the Age of Spices" explores the artistic and cultural interactions between **Europe and Asia from the 16th to the 19th centuries**, a period known as the **Age of Spices**. Key themes and topics include:
- **Global Trade**: The book explores international trade in spices and other commodities and how it fostered dialogue between Asian and European cultures 【1】【2】.
- **Cultural Exchange**: It examines the complex artistic and cultural interactions between Europe and Asia 【3】【4】.
- **Exploration and Discovery**: The book presents the story of exploration and trade, discovery, and shipwrecks 【5】.
- **Specific Commodities**: It covers the history and trade of exotic spices of Eastern Indonesia and the role and influence of Indian textiles in trade throughout the Indonesian archipelago 【6】.
- **Slavery**: The book also touches on the topic of slavery during this period 【5】.
- **Christian Art in India**: It discusses the preservation of Christian art in India, with works created by Asian artists for a Christian context 【6】【7】.
- **Broader Historical and Cultural Interactions**: The book includes essays on Islam and the West, Chinoiserie in Europe, and Britain and India, as well as early European contacts with Australia 【8】.
These themes and topics can help connect the book to other works on **art history, global trade, colonialism, cultural studies, and regional histories**.