PAWN FROM A CHESS SET

The present chess piece is closely related to a chess pawn in the Cluny Museum, Paris, which is currently dated to the 11th (inv. no. Cl.14422). The abstract forms of these pieces and others like them that have been excavated throughout Europe, underline the influence that Islamic chess pieces had on medieval European makers. Common to many of these European chess pieces are a triangular projection, resembling a head, and two dotted circles and horizontal scratches suggestive of a mouth and eyes. These forms decisively alter the character from the original Arabic wholly abstract pieces.
Radiocarbon dating analysis undertaken on the present piece has indicated a later dating than its stylistic characteristics suggest. This was also the case with a walrus ivory chess piece attributed to the Lewis Chessmen workshop, sold at Sotheby’s, London, 2 July 2019, lot 7. In the present case it may indicate that chess pieces in this form continued to be made in the late medieval period. This is supported by the appearance of a bone chess piece, currently dated to the 14th or 15th century, excavated at Weoley Castle near Birmingham, and a set of bone and wood chessmen dated to the 14th century, excavated from the river Thames. Another chess piece was excavated in a 13th century house in Tønsberg, Norway, supporting the idea that such chess sets were made in Norway; this piece was carved in antler with horizontal scratches on the head above the dotted circles , indicative of a horse, which suggests the present piece represents a pawn, rather than a knight, as previously suggested (see H. and S. Wichmann, Chess: The Story of Chesspieces from Antiquity to Modern Times, London, 1960, pp. 22-3, figs. 9-12).
A radiocarbon dating report prepared by J. Walker of RCD Lockinge, 1 August 2014, gives a date of AD 1446 to AD 1526 (95% confidence interval).