6Following the success in 2000 of Seas, Cities, and Dreams, the authors return with a second volume on the works of this remarkable 19th-century master who raised European maritime painting to a new level. A towering figure in his day, he shot to international fame at an early age. His exhibitions drew enormous crowds from all over the world and earned him the admiration of Vernet and Turner. He was elected a member of five European academies and was personally acquainted with most of the crowned heads of his day. Throughout his long and colorful career Aivazovsky claimed to have painted over 6,000 pictures. The authors--the foremost experts on the artist--have gathered the material for this book from public and private collections worldwide. The large number of paintings illustrated offer a significant addition to the published corpus of Aivazovsky's oeuvre. Their chronological arrangement makes this book an invaluable resource for scholars, collectors, and Aivazovsky's many admirers.