PROBABLY MESOPOTAMIA OR SYRIA, CIRCA 11TH CENTURY

Details

SEVEN IVORY CHESS PIECES
PROBABLY MESOPOTAMIA OR SYRIA, CIRCA 11TH CENTURY
Comprising three kings, each of solid cylindrical form with raised central circles on top and a lower saddle on one side, one with traces of red dye, together with a Rook (rukhkh) with rectangular body and V-section top, two knights, one with defined horse's head, the other, more abstract, and a further piece of short cylindrical form with two horizontal protrusions at the top, incised lines around the top and bottom, slight old damages
Largest 2 1/16in. (5.2cm.) high; Smallest 1 9/16in. (4cm.) high (7)

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. Please note that the lots of Iranian origin are subject to U.S. trade restrictions which currently prohibit the import into the United States. Similar restrictions may apply in other countries.

Lot Essay

Anna Contadini in "Islamic Ivory Chess Pieces, Draughtsmen and Dice" (in James Allan, (ed.), Islamic Art in the Ashmolean Museum, Patr One, Oxford, 1995, pp.111-154) writes that the chess pieces of the Islamic era fall into two broad families as far as shape is concerned. In one, the pieces are reasonably naturalistic representations of figures, in the other, into which this group easily falls, they have abstract forms. Contadini suggests that the triangular, pointed shape of the Rook represents the remnants of the shape of a castle.

More from Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds

View All