Danish or North German, circa 1400

private collection, United Kingdom

Overall the condition of the ivory is good with some wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. There are minor colour differences in the surface, in particular at the back, consistent with the material. There is particular wear to the surface at the high points, including the faces. There is stable splitting to the ivory consistent with the material, including hairline splits to the large figure's hat, and slightly open splits, including: to the proper left shoulder at the front, to the proper right shoulder at the front and back, to the seated figure's buttocks, and to the proper left side of his helmet. There is some veining, consistent with the material.
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This unusual marine ivory chess piece represents a knight in armour riding a monster, flanked by a court jester and a foot soldier. The iconography appears to be unprecedented, though stylistically the chess piece compares closely with 13th-century Scandinavian examples. A particularly compelling comparison is found in a 13th-century Danish walrus ivory chess piece with a queen mounted on a horse in the Nationalmuseum, Copenhagen (inv. no. D.7891). Note the similar conical helmets, the large almond shaped eyes, the attendants’ staffs and their upturned shoes. Another chess piece in Copenhagen shows a knight riding a lion with a similar snarling face to the present monster; this example is dated to the middle of the 14th century (inv. no. D.2427).

The addition of attendants signifies that the present chess piece represents a knight. However, this is no ordinary knight, for he rides a monster and is accompanied by a jester. These attributes underline the courtly nature of chess in the middle ages, whilst also conveying a sense of playfulness, which may have become a convivial talking point for participants in a game. The presence of a jester and an inventive monster, which recalls creatures in medieval bestiaries, marks the present ivory out as one of the most appealing and idiosyncratic of surviving medieval chessmen. Such attendants are likely to have been initially incorporated into the form of the more important equestrian pieces (kings, queens and knights) to strengthen their bases, whilst concurrently lending themselves for appropriate adornment. Chess pieces with this characteristic ultimately belong to a distinctive group which is exemplified by a figure of a king with assemblies of attendants in the Victoria and Albert Museum, said to be of Danish origin and date to circa 1400 (inv. no. A.22-1912).

The game of chess originated in India, where its predecessor chaturanga was played for several millennia before it started evolving into the present game around the 6th century AD. This reached Europe through the Muslim world and Spain a few centuries later and was firmly rooted here by the Middle Ages. Its association with strategy and intelligence established it as 'the Royal game'. Such was the popularity of chess that it was frequently used by the clergy to illustrate their moral lessons, thus prompting further reverence for the game.

RELATED LITERATURE
H. Wichmann and S. Wichmann, Chess. The Story of Chesspieces from Antiquity to Modern Times, London, 1964, no. 56 P. Williamson and G. Davies, Medieval Ivory Carvings 1200-1550. Part II, cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, pp. 717-727