This thesis looks at the design and decoration of European ceramics in the period 1500-1830, paying particular attention to their place within the evolution of stylistic trends within European art and design in this period, including the dissemination of designs through prints during the Renaissance; the influence of the import of Oriental goods in the 17th and 18th centuries; the influence of metalwork in the 18th century; and the influence of the Classical revival of the late 18th century. It pays particular attention to the usage of objects and changes in eating and drinking, including the emergence and decline of service a la francaise in the 18th century, and the use of ceramics as room decoration in this period. It also considers ceramic product as an aspect of economic theory such as mercantilism and changes in society and industrial production.