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Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Thierry Ollivier
Basin inscribed with the name of Bonifilius, Northern Italy, c.1300 Diam. 137 cm; marble, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2011.030

GALLERY 6

FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN TO THE ATLANTIC

A melting pot for the cultures of Christianity, Byzantium and Islam, the Mediterranean basin in the Middle Ages served as a focal point for commercial and cultural routes from across Asia and Africa. While the cities of Venice and Genoa took an active part in these exchanges, the Iberian Peninsula, divided between Islam and Christianity, became a site of rich cultural diversity. Elsewhere in Europe, competition between Christian kingdoms and flourishing trade contributed to economic and scientific development. At the end of the 15th century, Portuguese navigators explored the coastline of Africa and opened new trade routes to the Indian Ocean while the crossing of the Atlantic fostered contact between Europe and the great civilisations of the Americas.

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Thierry Ollivier
Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Flanders (today northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands), 1500–1600, L. 118 cm; gold and enamel, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2010.014

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Mustahfa Aboobacker/ Seeing Things
Saphea Azarchelis, Spain, Andalusia (?), 13th century, D. 28.3 cm Brass, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2019.001

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Mustahfa Aboobacker/ Seeing Things
The Romance of Troy Illuminated by Master of Girart de Roussilon and Workshop, Southern Netherlands, 1450-1460, H. 23 cm; W. 31 cm, Ink, colors and gold on parchment, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2019.005

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Hervé Lewandowski
Monumental “Mari-Cha” lion, Spain or southern Italy, 1000–1200, H. 73 cm; bronze, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2017.002

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Thierry Ollivier
Basin inscribed with the name of Bonifilius, Northern Italy, c.1300 Diam. 137 cm; marble, Louvre Abu Dhabi, LAD 2011.030
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