"The Blazons of the "Baptistere de Saint Louis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2812789 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Don S Rice (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1950 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 367-380 |
| Publication date | 1950-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0041-977X • E-ISSN: 1474-0699 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0041977x00083518 |
| OpenAlex | W2112602883 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 3 |
The inlaid bronze basin in the Musée du Louvre known as the " Baptistère de St. Louis " is generally recognized as a masterpiece of Islamic metalwork. So far, published photographs and drawings have failed to do it justice. Almost the whole surface of the vessel, both outside and inside, is engraved with court-scenes, battles and hunting expeditions set out in harmoniously composed panels and medallions, framed by narrower friezes of beasts of the chase, and enriched with delicately chased silver inlay and gold leaf, in such manner as to allow the bronze to appear only in narrow contours, brought into relief by the use of a black bituminous inlay (Pl. 5).The basin is signed in several places, and one signature, in calligraphic Mamlī, reads " Work of the Master (al-mu'allim) Muhammad ibn al-Zain ", but nowhere is the name of the owner of this magnificent vessel to be discovered. Nor is the owner's name given on the only other signed work of the same artist which has come down to us. Neither of these pieces bears the laudatory or benedictory inscriptions so common on Islamic metalwork.Arab biographers rarely regarded outstanding artists, other than calligraphers, as worthy of inclusion in their biographical dictionaries. Their works yield no information about Muhammad ibn al-Zain and therefore none which might lead us to identify his patron. We must adopt a different method if we wish to discover for whom this princely vessel was originally made.The earliest European reference to this basin appears to be an entry in Piganiol de la Force's Description de Paris, published in 1742
Ancient history · Art · Art history · Bronze · SAINT · Sculpture · Statue · Visual arts · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Historical Studies of Medieval Iberia · History
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,05 |
| Citation span | 1962 - 2019 (58) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |