In some cases, subsections are written by different authors. Discussion of specific pieces of art includes the date and references to present or last known locations. For items in private collections, citations to published reproductions, catalogues raisonnes, sales catalogs, or print catalog numbers are given. This information is valuable for those attempting to secure copyright permission and for researchers who would like to gain access to a specific piece. Broader articles cover such regions as Africa, pre-Columbian South America, and the Indian subcontinent.
Articles consistently represent the most recent scholarship in the field.
The articles sampled by the Board were clear and readable, providing concise and lucid discussions of complex topics such as Postmodernism and Neo-Platonism . Most volumes contain inserts of between 4 and 16 colorplates, focusing on artwork that is most effectively reproduced in color. For example, the four plates in volume 30 depict tapestries, tempera, textiles, tile, and upholstery. The excellence of the color reproductions is exemplified by 4 plates illustrating Carpets , and Landscape Painting illustrated by Albert Bierstadt's Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Emile Nolde's rich Tropical Sun . Considerably more interesting are reproductions of less familiar pieces such as a brass cannon in the form of a crocodile from Brunei.