Arthur Stone was one of America's foremost silversmiths working in the early 20th century. Although trained in England to make elaborate 19th-century style objects, Stone sympathized with John Ruskin and William Morris who called for a return to simple forms and small-scale hand production.

Wood and Hughes was one of the largest and most influential silver manufacturers in the United States from the 1850s to the 1880s. Although seriously threatened by the loss of southern accounts during the Civil War, the firm survived and continued to produce silverware, especially flatware, through the end of the 19th century. 

This jade bowl is carved with ferns, reeds, and chrysanthemums—plant forms that indicated fertility to the Chinese. The work is an example of the way in which the 18th-century emperor Qianlong popularized artworks that suggested archaistic forms. 

Ganesha is the child of Shiva, one of the three primary Hindu deities, and his wife Parvati, goddess of love, fertility, and devotion. When he was young, Ganesha kept his father from seeing his mother Parvati in her bath. As a result, Shiva cut off his son's head.

Vishnu is the Preserver of the Hindu trinity of gods. His wife, Lakshmi, is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Here they appear riding on Vishnu's mount, the bird-human Garuda. They embrace each other lovingly. 

This elaborate necklace is a fine example of a ritual necklace made for a bride among the Chettiar people of Tamil Nadu in south India. At the marriage, the groom would place the necklace around the bride's neck. It was a dowry given to the bride by her family and was seldom worn after the marriage ceremony.

Lokapalas were guardian kings of the four directions. They are usually shown as armed figures. This work embodies Tibetan ideas of wrathful-looking deities who are protective forces.

The Khmer kings of the 9th to 13th centuries constructed extensive temple complexes dedicated to the Buddha or to the Hindu gods, most often to Shiva.