Basin (Baptistère de Saint Louis)
Muhammad ibn al-Zain. c. 1320-1340 C.E. Brass inlaid with gold and silver
The Mamluks, the majority of whom were ethnic Turks, were a group of warrior slaves who took control of several Muslim states and established a dynasty that ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250 until the Ottoman conquest in 1517.The political and military dominance of the Mamluks was accompanied by a flourishing artistic culture renowned across the medieval world for its glass, textiles, and metalwork.
| Form: - Mohammed ibn al-Zain (Egyptian or Syrian) - Brass inlaid with gold and silver - very expensive materials - bowl used for religious ceremonies |
| Function: - Originally used for washing hands at official ceremonies - later used for french royal family baptisms |
| Context: - people used this bowl to wash or purify themselves before the ceremonies - later was used by royal families for baptisms -adapted from its original use - people of the time valued the inlaying of metals because it was very difficult to do - also used very expensive materials to show the wealth |
| Content: - shows people hunting alternating with battle scenes along the side; Mamluk hunters and mongol enemies - shows the conflict between the two groups - bottom of bowl decorated with fish, eels, crabs, frogs, and crocodiles - all can be found in water Cross Cultural - Niobides Krater - Virgin of Guadelupe - Trade, Quick-To-See-Smith - Kngwarreye, Earth's Creation |
