Chessmen (32)
The figures wear Polish dress of the Carpathian region. The white side wears the dress of the Szczawnica area, the black side that of the Spitz area. The axes carried by the kings may indicate some specific local contest, perhaps between woodsmen of rival villages. There are anachronistic elements in some of these modern peasant sets, the spirit being that of a past century. There is German influence in the bishop being a runner. The rearing horse is a type of knight popular in the eighteenth century.
Artwork Details
- Title: Chessmen (32)
- Date: 20th century
- Culture: Polish
- Medium: Wood
- Dimensions: Height (each king): 5 in. (12.7 cm);
Height (each pawn): 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm) - Classification: Chess Sets
- Credit Line: Gift of Gustavus A. Pfeiffer, 1953
- Object Number: 53.71.90a–p, aa–pp
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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