Chess and tric-trac game board
Using wood, bone, ivory, and mother of pearl, this hinged gameboard is a delicate masterpiece which features the favorite games of the ruling class. With its white and green colors, central two-layered rose, and fleur-de-lis decorating the interior, it was possibly made as a diplomatic gift for the Tudor court. It is patterned for tric-trac (a precursor of backgammon popular in France) in the interior, nine men’s morris and chess on the exterior. The surface is highly decorated, its borders ornamented with hunters, mythological figures, and fantastical beasts in an inlay technique as familiar on gun stocks and other weaponry as on recreational objects such as this.
Artwork Details
- Title: Chess and tric-trac game board
- Date: ca. 1550
- Culture: German
- Medium: Wood, ivory, bone, mother-of-pearl
- Dimensions: Overall: 1/4 × 17 3/4 × 17 3/4 in. (0.6 × 45.1 × 45.1 cm)
- Classification: Chess Sets
- Credit Line: Pfeiffer Fund, 1964
- Object Number: 64.51
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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German
16th century
Northern European
16th century
Northern European
16th century
Northern European
late 16th centuy
On loan to The Met
Gert van Egen
ca. 1570–75
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