Game Piece with the Blinded Samson Led by a Boy to the Philistine Temple of Dagon

German

On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 14

Numerous Romanesque playing pieces were produced in Cologne, a thriving center of ivory carving. This example illustrates a boy leading the blinded Samson to the pillars of the Philistine temple of Dagon. It would have been one of a set of fifteen pieces in a board game similar to backgammon, engaging an equal number of pieces displaying the feats of Samson and of Hercules.

Game Piece with the Blinded Samson Led by a Boy to the Philistine Temple of Dagon, Walrus ivory, German

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.