Chessmen (30)
The meaning of this set is not clear. The red king, Edward VII, and a very Chinese-looking Queen Alexandra, who nevertheless wears European dress, are accompanied by an Episcopal figure whose vestments have not been understood. The knights have very Chinese-looking horses with a hair tuft beneath the mouth (these pieces may be substitutes from another set). The men suggest English dragoons in the uniform of the period 1825 to 1860. The rooks are tall fenestrated edifices like lighthouses, surmounted by a flag. East and West are strangely combined in the pawns, which are distinctive of no particular country. The nature of the white side is equally hard to determine. No opponent of Edward VII would seem to be embodied in the king, though he carries a European scepter. The queen seems Oriental, and the bishop is of a different character from his opponent and might conceivably be meant to be a Russian or Greek bishop rather than a Roman one. The tower also incorporates Greek elements, Doric comumns, for example, a reflection of European neoclassiciam. Again the pawns are curious hybrids of Oriental and Occidental parentage.
Artwork Details
- Title: Chessmen (30)
- Date: early 20th century
- Culture: Chinese
- Medium: Ivory
- Dimensions: Height (each king): 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm);
Height (each pawn): 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm) - Classification: Chess Sets
- Credit Line: Gift of Gustavus A. Pfeiffer, 1948
- Object Number: 48.174.122a, c–f, h–p, aa
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Japanese
1931
Indian
20th century
Burmese
20th century
Persian, Tehran
ca. 1930
On loan to The Met
Multiple artists/makers
1912
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