#AP Art History: Unit 7 - Global Expansion (600-1750 CE) 🌍

Welcome, future art historian! This guide is your express ticket to acing Unit 7. We'll make sure you're not just memorizing facts, but truly understanding the art and its context. Let's dive in!

#🧭 Navigating Unit 7: Key Themes

Before we jump into specific works, let's get oriented. Unit 7 is all about how art and architecture spread and changed across the globe. Key themes include:

• Religious Influence: How major religions (Islam, Buddhism) shaped artistic production.
• Cultural Exchange: The impact of trade and travel on art.
• Imperial Power: How rulers used art to express their authority.
• Technological Innovation: New materials and techniques that transformed art.

Remember these themes! They're the lens through which you should analyze every artwork in this unit. AP loves to ask questions that connect these themes across different works. 💡

#🏛️ Required Works: A Deep Dive

#1. Basin (Baptistère de St. Louis) 🏺

• Artist: Mohammed ibn al-Zain

• Date: c. 1320-40 CE

• Culture: Egypt or Syria

• Material: Brass inlaid with silver and gold

• Key Features:

  • Intricate scenes of hunting, warfare, and courtly life. ⚔️
  • Demonstrates the high level of metalworking skill in the Islamic world.
  • Originally used for washing hands at official ceremonies, later used for baptisms of French royals.

#2. Bahram Gur Fights the Karg 🐺

• Date: c. 1330-40 CE

• Culture: Iran (Persian)

• Medium: Ink, colors, gold, and silver on paper

• Key Features:

  • From the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings), a Persian epic.
  • Depicts the hero King Bahram Gur battling a mythical horned wolf (Karg).
  • Shows the blending of Mongol and Persian artistic styles. 🎨

#3. The Ardabil Carpet 🌸

• Date: 1539-40 CE

• Culture: Persian (Safavid Dynasty)

• Material: Silk warps and wefts with wool pile

• Key Features:

  • One of the world's most famous carpets, with over 25 million knots.
  • ...