The government took an active interest in the standard of art exported, exerting quality control via the (Exhibition Bureau). The major exhibitions to which Japan sent the best examples of its arts and crafts included the Vienna World Exhibition of 1873, the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia, the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1901 in St. Louis. Twenty-five of the objects have emblems showing that they were commissioned by the Emperor as gifts for foreign dignitaries and royalty. Another twelve were made especially for the great international exhibitions around the turn of the 20th century. Khalili's collection and documentation of Meiji era metalwork is a major factor in the resurgence of interest in the topic in recent decades. The 1995 catalogue lists 161 items of metalwork, exemplifying a variety of techniques and with themes from the history and legends of both Japan and China. Meiji era artists created ambitious works in cast bronze for display at world's fairs, impressing American reviewers. One of the metalworkers who exhibited at these fairs, eventually appointed an Artist to the Imperial Household, was Suzuki Chokichi, whose art name was Kako. Several of his works, including two intricately decorated incense burners, are in the collection. The past history of samurai weaponry equipped Japanese metalworkers to create metallic finishes in a wide range of colours. By combining and finishing copper, silver and gold in different proportions they could give the impression of full-colour decoration. Some of these metalworkers were appointed Artists to the Imperial Household, including Kano Natsuo, Unno Shomin, Namekawa Sadakatsu, and Jomi Eisuke II, each of whom is represented in the collection. Other highlights include an elephant incense burner by Shoami Katsuyoshi, a sculpture of the deity Susanoo-no-Mikoto by Otake Norikuni, and a group of iron pieces by the Komai family of Kyoto, decorated with gold with a process known in the West as damascening. During the Meiji era, Japanese cloisonné enamel reached a technical peak, producing items more advanced than any that had existed before. Artists experimented with pastes and with the firing process to produce ever larger blocks of enamel, with less need for "cloisons" (enclosing metal strips). Many enamel objects were exhibited in the Fine Art section of the National Industrial Exposition of 1895, The best examples from this period, including some in the Khalili Collection, could not be replicated today.