What can Albrecht Dürer’s Adoration of the Magi (Book 1, Plate 1.21) and Gentile Bellini’s Saint Mark Preaching in Alexandria (Book 1, Plate 4.23) tell us about European perceptions of the wider world in the sixteenth century?

1500 words This assignment is in two parts. You should answer both parts.

Part 1 (1000 words)
What can Albrecht Dürer’s Adoration of the Magi (Book 1, Plate 1.21) and Gentile Bellini’s Saint Mark Preaching in Alexandria (Book 1, Plate 4.23) tell us about European perceptions of the wider world in the sixteenth century? Compare and contrast the two images, with attention to the representation of non-European people, places and objects.
Part 2 (500 words)
Read Luca Landucci’s description of gifts from Qaytbay, the Mamluk Sultan in Cairo, to Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence (Reader 2.4(a), pp. 62-63). What can this extract illuminate about the role of gifts and luxury objects in Europe’s relationship with the Muslim world?