Wonders of Imperial Japan, Meiji art from the Khalili collection tells of an artistic tornado, narrating how in the second half of the 19th century Meiji art of Japan took the Western world by storm. World exhibition visitors of those days, attending the shows in cities such as Amsterdam, Chicago, Philadelphia and Vienna, encountered for the first time the magnificence of Japanese decorative art. They came face to face with huge bronzes, tall vases covered with beautiful decoration, or exquisite small objects, lacquered boxes, soothing unfussy drawings, incense burners breathing repose. People were enchanted. In this book, art historians Kris Schiermeir and Matthi Forrer focus upon the chief characteristics of Meiji art, set in its historical context. After a brief survey of decorative art, they move on to a detailed discussion of the different techniques and motifs that play a major part in Meiji art. The collection of Professor Nasser D. Khalili embraces over 2,000 objects from the Meiji period, all of them pieces of exceptional artistic and technical quality. This book illustrates some of the most splendid examples from the collection.