Containing hundreds of the Asian Art Museums finest paintings, sculptures, jewelry, textile and furniture, this art book is an informative guide to one of the world's greatest collections. The character of the art in this book is broad, inventive, original, and stunning in its compass. For the arts of Asia are as vast as humankind, and as complex and remarkable. While they conform to little of what Western artists know or knew, these arts are born of grand traditions, nurtured talents, and splendid ideas. The arts of Asia originate in the largest of Earth's continents and represent the oldest continuum of civilized activity in this world. This book presents a selection by the curators of the highlights of the Asian Art Museum collections. It is, therefore an introduction to the subject, but it is also an invitation for the reader to investigate further, to visit the museum, and to see at first hand the arrayed masterworks of Asian art installed in the galleries.