Made from walrus ivory some time between AD 1150 and 1200, the Lewis Chessmen are iconic artefacts from the early medieval period. This concise book provides a guide to the history of these chess pieces including the story of their discovery in 1831, followed by skulduggery, deception and controversy as they were sold off to various parties including the British Museum, where most of them are found today. Issues of the raw materials used, the skill of the craftsmen, their place of origin, stylistic features are placed within the context of the game of chess in medieval Europe.
Features
- Every purchase supports the British Museum
- The Lewis Chessmen were found under mysterious circumstances on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, in 1831
- Probably made in Norway around AD 1150-1200, these enchanting chess pieces consist of elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales’ teeth in the forms of seated kings and queens, mitred bishops, knights on their mounts, standing warders and pawns
- This lively book considers the various fascinating stories which have evolved to explain the ownership, concealment and discovery of the pieces whilst also placing them in the wider context of the ancient game of chess and secular art of the Middle Ages
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