Some of the most spectacular and historically significant works of Eastern art are housed in the Royal Collection. In Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, John Ayers examines more than two thousand works distributed amongst the royal residences, encompassing works of art in a wide variety of media, from jade, porcelain, and lacquer to embroidery and painted scrolls. Among the works featured in the book’s vibrant full-color reproductions are evidence of the long-standing trade of luxury goods between Europe, Japan, and China over the last three-hundred years. A striking feature of the collection is the mounting in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries of many objects in gilt bronze. The mounts themselves, made in French and British workshops, are often of superb quality and great historical importance, and they are published here for the first time.

A fascinating and beautifully illustrated survey, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the arts of China and Japan.