The Arts of Japan
A 1909 London survey of Japanese art published by Methuen and written by Edward Dillon, drawn from Smithsonian Libraries holdings and aimed at general readers of art history. The plates are halftone photographs and line drawings of metalwork, carved wood sculpture and decorative objects, with captions naming each piece and its period. A designer could take from them the restrained rhythm of pierced scrollwork, the rounded silhouette of a standing figure, and the dense textured surfaces of hammered vessels.
