At the Louvre, Mamlouks art and culture

Paris. Little known to the general public, the reign of mamlouks produced a very rich art and culture between the 13th and 16th centuries. After the collapse of the Abbasid caliphate of Baghdad (1258) and before the Ottoman conquest (1516), the mamlouks sultans establish in Egypt and Syria a power based on the loyalty of former military slaves of the Arab Caliphs (the Arab term“Mamlouk” means “possessed”, and is also used for movable property). As Soraya Noujaïm, Director of the Arts of Islam at the Louvre, “This history and these territories remain little known in France” And the exhibition therefore aims to correct this gap by an educational remarks. The first room constitutes a prologue that briefly illustrates “The legend of mamlouks which was built at the end of the 18th centurye century “ When the latest mamlouks, integrated into the Ottoman army, fought Napoleon’s troops in the Middle East. This mythology with orientalist accents had spread at the end of the 15th century thanks to Baybars legendromanticized biography of the first sultan Mamlouk, very famous in the Arab world. A summary chronology and a focus on the status of Mamlouk complete this introduction. The exhibition therefore quickly evacuates the romantic aspect of mamlouks to enter the reality of their reign and the societies that they helped to shape.

In the almost total absence of paintings and drawings of this period, the commissioners (Soraya Noujaïm and Carine Juvin) built the course with many metal or ceramic objects, and voluminous manuscripts: mamlouks sultans have indeed developed a passion for illuminated books. The refined scenography signed BCG fairly well avoids the accumulation effect that showcases filled with candlesticks, writing, chopped sections and ceramic vases can produce. Each object is clearly presented with a detailed cartel which recalls the context and the importance of decorative arts and crafts in Mamlouk. This is the case for copper alloying trays inlaid with money where “A symbolism of the radiant sun linked to the figure of the sultan”according to Carine Juvin, in charge of collections in the Department of Arts of Islam. In view of the windows, the exhibition offers several immersive spaces which take advantage of the volumes of the Napoleon hall: one of them thus contains projections on three sides of views of the monuments built by mamlouks, large builders. It is a question of showing the urban environment where Mamlouk society evolved. This multicultural society is mentioned through a few famous people (sultans, literate women), because the commissioners held “Integrate into the course of individual biographies” To give a little warmth to a sometimes austere exhibition.

The art of the book at the top

The scenography alternates throughout the route a harmonious color code, from dark red to yellow through green and gray blue, echo in the colors of fabrics and exposed carpets. We note that the chosen aesthetics avoids orientalism and decorative ornaments, apart from a few simplified mosaics patterns which dot the picture rails. This simplicity borders on coldness when the route multiplies the showcases of manuscripts, especially since no text is translated from Arabic or Turkish, although the cartels give detailed information. The art of the book reaches heights under the reign of mamlouks as specified by Soraya Noujaïm, who adds that the copies of the Koran of this period had “Monumental dimensions”. One of the copies presented, of undeniable beauty, is 74 cm long and 96 cm wide once open! Several books show the extreme refinement of the manuscripts of this period, with games on the white spaces of the pages, incised leaves and illuminations with the gold leaf: it is therefore frustrating for visitors not to have a translation, especially when it comes to the famous tales of Kalila and Dimna who inspired the fables of La Fontaine.

The exhibition does not forget diplomatic relations or trade, especially with India and Europe: textiles, engravings and ceramics illustrate commercial roads and reciprocal influences, in a fairly classic but fluid scenography. The last two rooms devoted to decorative arts accumulate mother -in -depth door panels, wooden sets and glass objects to show the richness of the daily environment of mamlouks, but this set remains somewhat disembodied because the lighting is too dark on the dwellings of the room. By its volume, this room crushes the small glass or ceramic vases exposed, whose refinement deserves more light. The exhibition ends with the Baptistery of Saint Louis (See ill.), Exceptional object entered into the French royal collections in the 15th century and whose origin remains mysterious (Syria or Egypt, 1330-1340). The patterns encrusted with silver are presented in windows that line the circular space around the baptistery, for a successful immersive effect thanks to the very worked lighting.