Chess Piece in the Form of Two Knights (Kent, England, 1230-1250) Walrus Ivory with traces of gilding and dark green paint, Ashmolean Museum
Brief Identification[]
This chess piece, discovered in Kent, England, depicts a knight mounted on horseback with his sword drawn. Carved from walrus ivory not native to England, this striking composition is housed in Oxford's Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology. Produced between 1230 and 1250 during the reign of Henry III, this composition bears striking resemblance to other walrus ivory chess sets discovered throughout the United Kingdom.
Technical Evaluation[]
This chess piece bears a striking similarity to other medieval chess pieces found in regions throughout the United Kingdom. The walrus however is not native to the United Kingdom, and thus the piece was most likely produced in a Scandinavian country and imported into the United Kingdom by a wealthy knight, clergymen, aristocrat, or nobleman.
The piece is comprised of one piece of walrus ivory, carved intricately into the figure of a knight mounted on horseback and armed for combat. The Knight is extremely detailed and is clad in hauberk (a shirt of mail used as armor) and is wearing a flat topped barrel helm with a horizontal eye slot and cruciform face guard. The Knight carries a curving heater-shaped shield (a recognizable shield carried in the late 12th century) with incised detailing around the perimeter of the shield. The horse itself is also intricately detailed, with a long mane and tail and breast plates and visible bridles. The figure is separated at front and at rear by dense head-high foliage which ascends from the base of the piece and fill space otherwise left bare in the composition. [See McArthur,1983 285] [1]
Traces of dark green paint are visible on the armor and weaponry of the knight which suggest the coloration served to distinguish the piece from other pieces while playing. Trace gilding survives on the belt, harness and shield of the figure. [See Wodehouse, 2014 ]
Local Historical Context[]
Introduced to England during the Norman Conquest of the 12th century, chess became a beloved game of English nobility during the late 12th and 13th centuries. Peter Alfonsi, an early 12th century scholar, listed the noble game as one of the seven skills that a good knight must acquire in his book, Disciplina Clericalis. [See History of Chess, 2019 139]. [2]
Many chess pieces composed of walrus ivory have been found throughout the United Kingdom, most notably, the Lewis Chessmen, an almost complete 12th century chess set discovered in Scotland. The Pieces are characteristic of intricately carved walrus chess pieces found throughout the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The production of these pieces attests to long distance trade relationships with Scandinavian countries, as the walrus and walrus ivory are not native to the United Kingdom. Evidence of long distance trade proves the modernity and advancement of England and English society during the early 13th century.
Based on the materials, detailing, and ornate nature of the Knight Chessman, one can most naturally assume that this piece belonged to a member of the aristocracy, nobility, clergy, or a knight. Because chess was considered a noble game, members of high society commissioned artisans to create ornate chess pieces crafted from walrus ivory in the forms of humans, nobles, and mythical beasts.
Lewis Chessmen, 12th Century, England
World Historical Significance []
The origin of chess began over 1500 years ago but the closest ancestor of modern chess originated in Gupta India during the mid 9th century. A game of strategy and discipline, chess was highly favored by knights and the aristocracy during its inception and dispersion into other cultures.
From India, chess spread to Persia. When the Arabian Islamic empire conquered Persia, their society adopted the game and spread it to Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. In Europe, chess developed into its current form during the late 13th and 14th Centuries where it flourished as a game favored by knights and the aristocracy. [See History of Chess, 2019 1] [2]
The spread of chess is a direct result of the growth and spread of world empires. Buddhist pilgrims and and Silk Road traders carried the game along the Silk Roads into the Far East where it developed into different forms of the game currently known as chess. The development of the game itself is indicative of the growth and intelligence of modernizing society.
References[]
- MacGregor, Arthur, ed., Rarities: Essays on the Foundation of the Ashmolean Museum 1683 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983), 236, fig. 73 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10281/1/10281_7075.PDF?UkUDh:CyT[1]
- Klein, Christopher. “The Enduring Mystery of the Lewis Chessmen.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 25 Feb. 2016, https://www.history.com/news/the-enduring-mystery-of-the-lewis-chessmen
- “Chess Piece in the Form of Two Knights.” Ashmolean, http://collections.ashmolean.org/collection/search/per_page/50/offset/0/sort_by/relevance/object/82695
- Sai, et al. “History Of Chess - A Simple Guide on Who Invented Chess.” IChess.net, 4 Oct. 2019, https://www.ichess.net/blog/history-of-chess/
- Katherine Wodehouse (general editor), The Ashmolean Museum Crossing Cultures Crossing Time (Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, 2014), p.139, illus. p.139
- Warren, Jeremy, Vol 2 Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture in the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum Publications, 2014), 156, p.548, illus. p.548