From at least the 15th century Oriental porcelain has been mounted by European goldsmiths, usually in silver-gilt and on occasions further adorned with precious stones. The mounts emphasised the esteem in which porcelain was held and its great rarity until the early 17th century with the ever expanding trade with the Far East. As with the present example mounts are frequently unmarked, or only bear a maker's mark. However, as the intrinsic value of the metal used was for the most part small, a great diversity of objects still exists, particularly in the National Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which holds a large collection, formerly at Burghley House.