What does this tell us about the Crusades?
By Gracyn Benck '23
The So Called Crusader's Bowl speaks to the cross-cultural interactions and importance of connection to the Holy mission the Crusades were justified under. This object shows a conscious effort to connect to the local Islamic culture and Christian themes in its ornament. crusaders traveled far distances to the Holy Land on their mission to regain their “God given right” to the Holy Land. During the crusader’s time in cities like Cairo they had an urge to take home objects that represented their travel and their commitment to the mission. The crusaders in Egypt were patrons of many metal vessels, like this bowl. They were convenient in that they could travel long distances due to their small size and portability, which made them ideal objects to take home as a souvenir of the Crusades or be kept at their new settlement. This bowl likely functioned as a direct link to Christian’s biblical legacy and claims to the Holy Land.
For the crusaders, remembering and maintaining a connection to the Holy Land was vital. These objects provided that last physical link to the Holy Land after the Crusades had ended. Christian patrons still had a strong craving for connection to the local culture in the Holy Land despite their lack of control over it. The So-Called Crusader's Bowl played an important role in the Crusades in which Christian, Islamic, and pseudo-Islamic motifs came together through cross cultural interactions to form a physical connection to the lasting Christian memory of the experience of the Crusades.