L’Aventurine Although "Arabic Art" was presented by d’Avennes as an anthology of ornamentation, it also was one of the first publications in "modern" archaeology. A reference in the field, the book offers a wide vision of Arabic art in the areas of architecture, decoration and the applied arts. An irresistible mélange of romanticism and history, this encyclopedia with its incredible graphic scope bears witness to the diversity and value of the Islamic art as seen through the rigorous and scientific eye of a 19th century Westerner.