A Formal & Contextual Analysis of the Baptistere of St. Louis

 By Cesar Sanchez and Hamida Rani

The Wandering Basin:

    The Baptistere of St. Louis is a brass basin with an origin shrouded in mystery. What is known is that the basin, made by Mamluk artisan Mohammed ibn al-Zain from about 1320-1340, somehow ended up in France, in which it was used to baptize children of the royal family and given the name, the Baptistere of St. Louis. At the time the basin was made, the Mamluks where a prominent and dominating political power. During this time, a large amount of art was made under the Mamluk Empire. The basin, which is made out of bronze has silver inlays which make up the majority of the shapes, which include animals and people. It possesses gold inlays as well which are used to outline and segment the different sections of the basin into different bands of figures illustrating a story, as well as outlining different roundels in the bands. The basin that mysteriously appeared in France shows us just not just how extravagant and intricate Islamicate art can be, but it also shows how flexible it can be in a variety of contexts, not just in the context of Islam.

The basin measures 50.5cm across with a height of 23.2cm according to the Louvre Museum Collections website. The baptistery's outside is lined with three different bands of silver inlay, in which there are several depictions. The top band shows several animals in procession to the left around the band that include unicorns, elephants, antelopes, camels, and leopards. This band may be a representation of Dar al-Islam (meaning land of peace) and may have been originally intended to be seen as a gift wishing peace and prosperity to the recipient.

The second band, which is the largest consists of four roundels and on each side of the roundels about four to five men in procession to the men depicted in the roundels. The men in the roundels, who are all on horseback, are said to be Mamluk officials, and are representations of the different aspects of horsemanship according to Annenberg Learner. In comparison to other basins that where similar to the one made in this time, according to Khan Academy, other basins would possess Arabic inscriptions on this larger second central band. However, this is clearly not the case with this specific artwork, leading some to speculate that the basin was indeed made for export to Europe, and was not intended for the recipient to be within the Mamluk court according to the video from Khan Academy.

Where exactly did this basin come from exactly? That is unfortunately unknown at the current moment, and the best we can do is take a guess at where it may have come from. It is speculated that it is from somewhere in Syria, but Rachel Ward discusses where the whereabouts of the basin may be in her book, "A Mamluk Basin Made for Export to Europe."  In this book, she discusses how it was unlikely for the basin to have been made in Cairo, Egypt, and rather she states, "it is more likely that metalwork intended for export to the West was made in the second important metalworking centre, Damascus" (Ward 121). Although this may be a very well influenced inference, it is still not a concrete answer, and thus is yet to be known where this basin originated from exactly.

So where did it end up exactly you might ask... Well, the basin ended up in France and was used to baptize children of the royal family. It was given the name the Baptistere of St. Louis in the 18th century; however, the actual St. Louis, who the basin was named after actually never baptized in this basin, as the basin had not yet been made during the time of Louis IX, commonly known as Saint Louis according to Encyclopedia Brittanica. The basin, made in some part of Syria, had ended up in Europe, France to be used by the royal family. The basin represents the desirability and appreciation of Islamicate artistry due to the fact that this piece of Islamicate metalwork had become such a valuable artifact to a very different context and culture entirely. This could be an indicator that Islamicate design can be very flexible, and very valuable and sought after in other parts of the world, who do not necessarily associate themselves with any form of islamic tradition. The coat of arms on the basin were worked over by the symbol fleur-de-lis, a symbol that may have been used by both contexts, as the fleur was a popular Mamluk symbol in the 13th and 14th centuries according to Annenberg Learner. This can also be an indicator that sometimes similar motifs can be flexible in two entirely different contexts and parts of the world, but at the same time be so similar.

Conclusion:

Although the initial whereabouts of the Baptisere of St. Louis are unclear, what is very clear is that this piece of artwork is an exemplary occasion of how Islamicate design is not only highly valued in other parts of the world, but also can be very flexible in different contexts other then in the islamic context. The fact that this piece of Islamicate design has become such a valuable artifact in French history is proof enough of this flexibility and malleability of Islamicate art in other contexts. The Baptisere was a very interesting artwork to research because metalwork is an incredibly difficult type of art to produce. To witness such a beautiful piece of art and know that it was made during the early 14th century with minimal technology. Not only the visual intricacy, but also the depth of the artwork and the messages it contains within its illustrations are incredibly intriguing and call for more attention from researchers and art viewers alike.

Art Detective!

This is a Catholic Church in Tepatitlan de Morelos, in Jalisco, Mexico. In this architectural structure, it can be seen that there are two towers that resemble minarets at a mosque. In fact, these towers have bells, that much like a mosque, function as a way to let the surrounding area that it is time to come to pray, much like a minaret is also used to call to prayer. This structure also seems to have a dome, similar to a large margin of Islamicate architecture, such as the Dome of the Rock.

-Cesar Sanchez (0_0) 

This is a unique art piece made from Bangladesh that was gifted. As you can see this art piece is made from all glass material that has multiple colored irregular shaped like the mosaic that was introduced in previous lectures. This art piece is designed for wall decoration, the blue represents the water, the green represents the leaves and the tall trees, and lastly the orange represents the sky. This art piece reminds me of the all the ancient and modern history Islamic art and mosaics that is displayed inside the mosques like the glass windows and the interior of the dome designs. Art that involves mosaics have a significance of showing their supremacy of the new faith that is emerging. 

-Hamida Rani

Works Cited:

al-Zayn, Muhammad ibn. “Bassin Dit.” Musée Du Louvre, 12 Oct. 2021, https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010318774. 

“Art: Basin (Known as the Baptistère of Saint Louis).” Annenberg Learner, 24 Sept. 2019, https://www.learner.org/series/art-through-time-a-global-view/ceremony-and-society/basin-known-as-the-baptistere-of-saint-louis/. 

“Basin (Baptistère De Saint Louis) (Video).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/west-and-central-asia-apahh/west-asia/v/ibn-al-zain-basin. 

Kupier, Kathleen. “Baptistère De Saint Louis.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baptistere-de-Saint-Louis. 

Ward, Rachel. “The 'Baptistere De Saint Louis' - a Mamluk Basin Made for Export to Europe.” Islam and the Italian Renaissance, Eds Charles Burnett and Anna Contadini, Warburg Institute, London, 25 Apr. 2020, https://www.academia.edu/42850080/The_Baptistere_de_Saint_Louis_A_Mamluk_Basin_Made_for_Export_to_Europe.