Create an essay of 200-300 words in response to the prompt below
PROMPT:
1. View the assigned video, Baptistre de Saint Louis Smarthistory, December 15, 2015. https://smarthistory.org/mohammed-ibn-al-zain-basin-baptistere-de-saint-louis/ (Links to an external site.)
2. Browse the following article: Baer, Eva. Fish-Pond Ornaments on Persian and Mamluk Metal Vessels. (Links to an external site.) Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 31, no. 1 (1968): 1427. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00112765.
3. Study the high-quality images of these two Mamluk metalwork bowls which you can find on the following webpages:
a. Baptistre de Saint Louis: https://smarthistory.org/mohammed-ibn-al-zain-basin-baptistere-de-saint-louis/ (Links to an external site.)
b. Bowl with fishpond pattern: http://metalwork.museumwnf.org/database-item/ISL/it/Mus01/1/en (Links to an external site.)
4. Based on your own analysis and the ideas presented in the video, readings, and websites, write an interpretation of the iconography and meaning of the these two works. You must include footnotes and bibliography to document all your sources in the Chicago Turabian Notes and Bibliography style.
5. Include one relevant quote from the SmartHistory video and one from the Baer article, one sentence each.
6. Address the following question in your essay: What do the different choices of iconography suggest about the original intended audience and type of setting for which each work was made? For example, do you believe it was intended for use in a religious setting or an elite secular setting? Was the audience Muslim? non-Muslim? Take a stand and support your argument with your own analysis.
7. Here is the factual information on each work, with a link to the museum entry to it, in case you wish to investigate further:
The Basin (Baptistre de Saint Louis) by Mohammed ibn al-Zain, c. 1320-40, brass inlaid with silver and gold, 22.2 x 50.2 cm, Egypt or Syria, Mamluk Culture (Muse du Louvre). https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010318774 (Links to an external site.)
Bowl with fishpond pattern, 14th century, brass inlaid With gold and silver. Diameter: 20 cm. Egypt or Syria, Mamluk culture (Museum of Civilisations | Museum of Oriental Art Giuseppe Tucci 19322/14898). http://metalwork.museumwnf.org/database-item/ISL/it/Mus01/1/en (Links to an external site.). Click on the photos to enlarge them.
