Stonepaste, 12th century.
Item
Title
Stonepaste, 12th century.
Description
This is among the oldest surviving examples of a (nearly) full chess set, attributed to 12th-century Iran. The king and vizier pieces take the form of thrones rather than men, while the knight has a single pointy bump for a nose and head. While eliding directly represented figures, the set’s maker finds ways to use small protrusions and variations to identify its pieces, balancing practical distinction with artistic abstraction.
Rights
Chess set. Holding Institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Image courtesy of the The Metropolitan Museum of Art. CC0 1.0.
Source
Chess Set. 12th century. Molded stonepaste. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/452204
