Lewis chessmen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lewis Chessmen | |
 Lewis chessmen in the British Museum |
|
| Material | Walrus Ivory |
|---|---|
| Created | 12th century |
| Discovered | Uig, Lewis in 1831 |
| Present location | British Museum · Museum of Scotland |
The Lewis Chessmen (or Uig Chessmen, named after their find-site) are a group of 78 chess pieces from the 12th century most of which are carved in walrus ivory, discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. They may constitute some of the few complete medieval chess sets that have survived until today, although it is not clear if any full set as originally made can be made up from the varied pieces. They are currently owned and exhibited by the British Museum in London, which has 67 of them and the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, which has the rest. There has been recent controversy about the most appropriate place for the main display of the pieces.
Contents |
[edit] History and description
top: king, queen, bishop
middle: knight, rook, pawn
bottom: closeup of queen (resin replicas)
The chessmen were probably made in Norway, perhaps by craftsmen in Trondheim (where similar pieces have been found), sometime during the 12th century,[1] although scholars have suggested other sources in the Scandinavian world.[2] During that period the Outer Hebrides, along with other major groups of Scottish islands, were ruled by Norway. Some historians believe that the Lewis chessmen were hidden (or lost) after some mishap occurred during their transportation from Norway to wealthy Norse settlements on the east coast of Ireland. The large number of pieces and their lack of signs of wear may suggest they were the stock of a trader or dealer in such pieces.[1] Along with the chess pieces, there were found 14 plain round tablemen for the game of tables and one belt buckle, all made of ivory, making a total of 93 artifacts.[3]
Almost all of the pieces in the collection are carved from walrus ivory, with a few made instead from whale teeth. The 78 pieces consist of 8 kings, 8 queens, 16 bishops, 15 knights, 12 rooks, and 19 pawns. Although there are 19 pawns (a complete set requires 16), they have the greatest range of sizes of all the pieces, which has suggested that the 78 pieces might belong to at least 5 different sets.[4] All the pieces are sculptures of human figures, except the pawns which are smaller, geometric shapes. The knights are shown holding spears and shields, mounted on rather diminutive horses. The rooks depict standing soldiers or warders holding a shield and sword, four of which are shown as wild-eyed berserkers biting their shields with battle fury.[5] Some pieces bore traces of red stain when found, indicating that red and white were used to distinguish the two sides, rather than the black and white used in modern chess.
To the modern eye, the figural pieces, with their bulging eyes and glum expressions, have a distinct comical character. This is especially true of the single rook with a worried, sideways glance (front left of first image below) and the beserkers biting their shields which have been called "irresistibly comic to a modern audience."[6] It is believed, however, that the comic or sad expressions were not intended or perceived as such by the makers to whom these images instead displayed strength, ferocity or, in the case of the queens who hold their heads with a hand, "contemplation, repose and possibly wisdom."[7]
[edit] Modern discovery
The chessmen were discovered in early 1831 in a sand bank at the head of the Bay of Uig on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There are various local stories concerning their arrival on Lewis and modern discovery.
Three hundred years later Malcolm "Sprot" Macleod from the nearby township of Pennydonald discovered the trove in a small stone kist in a dune, exhibited them briefly in his byre and sold them on to Captain Roderick Ryrie.[8] One reported detail, that it was a cow that actually unearthed the stash, is generally discounted in Uig as fabrication. Malcolm Macleod's family were evicted from Pennydonald several years later when the area was cleared to make the farm at Ardroil.
[edit] Exhibition and ownership
They were exhibited by Ryrie at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, on April 11, 1831. The chessmen were soon after split up, with 10 being purchased by Kirkpatrick Sharpe and the others (67 chessmen and 14 tablemen) were purchased on behalf of the British Museum in London.
Kirkpatrick Sharpe later found another bishop to take his collection up to eleven, all of which were later sold to Lord Londesborough. In 1888 they were again sold, but this time the purchaser was the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, who donated the pieces to the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. The eleven are now on display in the Museum of Scotland.
The pieces given to the British Museum are still located there, and most can be found in Room 42 with the registration numbers M&ME 1831, 11–1.78–159. Others have been lent to Scottish museums and temporary exhibitions.[1] A range of resin or plastic replicas are popular items in the Museum shops.
The chessmen were number 5 in the list of British archaeological finds selected by experts at the British Museum for the 2003 BBC Television documentary Our Top Ten Treasures presented by Adam Hart-Davis.
[edit] Controversy
In 2007–2008 a dispute arose regarding the most appropriate place to display the pieces. The issue first arose[citation needed] late in 2007 with calls from Scottish National Party politicians in the Western Isles (notably Cllr Annie Macdonald, MSP Alasdair Allan and MP Angus MacNeil) for the return of the pieces to the place they were found. Linda Fabiani the Scottish Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture stated that "it is unacceptable that only 11 Lewis Chessmen rest at the National Museum of Scotland while the other 82 remain in the British Museum in London". Richard Oram, Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling, agreed arguing that there was no reason for there to be more than "a sample" of the collection in London. Both points of view have been dismissed by Margaret Hodge the UK Minister of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, writing "It's a lot of nonsense, isn't it?"[8] The local historical society in Uig, Comann Eachdraidh Uig, which operates a registered museum near the find site featuring detailed information about the chessmen and Norse occupation in Lewis, has indicated publicly that it has no intention of pursuing any claim to the ownership of the pieces and does not support demands for them to be sent to Edinburgh, but would welcome short-term loans.[9]
 A selection of some of the other chess pieces, with a row of bishops at the back, then a row of knights. |
 A resin replica of one of the kings |
 Lewis chessmen in the Museum of Scotland |
 The Lewis chessmen in the British Museum |
[edit] Bibliography
- British Museum Website.
- HJR Murray, A History of Chess (Oxford University Press)
- Robinson, James (2004), The Lewis Chessmen, British Museum Press
- N. Stratford, The Lewis chessmen and the enigma of the hoard (The British Museum Press, 1997)
- Michael Taylor, The Lewis Chessmen (British Museum Publications Limited)
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c British Museum Website.
- ^ Robinson, p. 14.
- ^ Robinson, pp. 5, 36, 54-55.
- ^ Robinson, p. 30.
- ^ Robinson, pp. 28-29.
- ^ Robinson, p. 37.
- ^ Robinson, pp. 37-41.
- ^ a b Burnett, Allan (3 February 2008) "Stalemate". Glasgow. The Sunday Herald.
- ^ Uig News, February 2008
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lewis chessmen |
- The British Museum's page on the chessmen
- Chez.com's page on the chessmen
- Further reading on the Isle of Lewis chessmen
- Not Chess pieces, Not from Lewis
