Verbal | Re: Usage of As v/s Like

Hi,

Please guide.

In the sentence below, have we used 'as' for comparison b/w two clauses?

I think the first past is a clause and 2nd part is a noun (works of 13th century)

Whats the intended meaning here?

paintings have been appreciated as the works of the 13th century artists rather than the 14th centuryones.