#chess set

This Isle of Lewis chess set was discovered in the early 19th century in a buried stone chamber in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland by a crofter named Malcolm MacLeod. Legend has it that he mistook the pieces for elves and fled in terror. Later, a local man named Roderick Ririe of Stornoway was the first to exhibit the pieces in Edinburgh at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1831.

Most of the pieces are carved from walrus ivory, with a handful made from sperm whale teeth, and they date to roughly 1150 to 1200 AD. The carving style and details, like the bishops’ mitres pointed front and back, place them firmly in that window. Scholarly consensus has long favored Trondheim, Norway as the workshop, given its tradition of ivory carving and similar finds at the cathedral site, though a persistent minority view (championed by writer Nancy Marie Brown) points to Iceland and a specific named carver, Margret the Adroit. Nobody knows why they ended up buried on Lewis: theories range from a merchant’s lost cargo to a shipwreck to the treasured possessions of a local Norse-aligned ruler, since Lewis at the time had close ties to the Kingdom of the Isles and Norway.

Their fame rests largely on personality: the queens sit with a hand pressed to one cheek in an expression somewhere between worry and weariness, and the rooks are carved as wild-eyed warders biting the tops of their shields, a detail scholars read as a depiction of berserkers working themselves into a battle frenzy. They’re considered masterpieces of Norse art and offer a window into medieval craftsmanship and the cultural exchange between Norse and European societies.

King (Province of Rajasthan, India, 1930. Carved ivory)

"This King is the 10-headed demon, Ravana, in the Hindu epic the Ramayana."

King (Bali Province, Indonesia, 1960. Carved bone and staghorn)

"This set probably tells the story of Prince Rama and his battle against the demon king in the Ramayana."

King (Guangzhou [Canton], Guangdong Province, China, late 19th / early 20th century. Carved ivory)

"In the 19th century, Chinese ivory carvers began placing chess pieces on puzzle-balls, an older form of carving dating back to at least the 14th century. Using specialized tools, the balls are carved from the outside in to create layers of balls freely nested within one another. This king has 5 balls floating freely within the outer ball."

King (Kholmogorsky District, Russia, 19th century. Carved walrus ivory)

"This piece, made of walrus ivory, represents the Russian Prince or Emperor. This style typically features a theme that pits Russians against Oriental forces."

Rook (Hong Kong, 1950. Carved and engraved ivory)

"The Rook is represented by a tower or gatehouse reminiscent of Chinese fortifications."

Bishop (Lyons or Paris, France, 1750-1800. Turned and carved bone)

Central Europe, Selenus-Pattern Chess Set, early 19th century. Stained and white bone

American, Staunton-Style Chess Set, 1994. Wood

Great Britain, St. Georg-Pattern Chess Set, 19th century. Black and blond hardwood

China, Puzzle-Ball-Style Chess Set, 19th century. Stained and white ivory

Egypt, Pharaoh and his Army, 20th century. Ivory