A set of four volumes of studies by Oleg Grabar that bring together more than eighty articles, studies and essays, work spanning half a century. Reflecting the many incidents of a long academic life, these volumes illustrate one scholar's attempt at making order and sense of 1400 years of artistic growth. They deal with architecture, painting, objects, iconography, theories of art, aesthetics and ornament, and they seek to integrate our knowledge of Islamic art with Islamic culture and history as well as with the global concerns of the history of art. In addition to the articles selected, each volume contains an introduction which describes the context in which Grabar's scholarship developed and the people who directed and mentored his efforts. (Ashgate)