Tableman
first half of 12th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a tableman made in northern France, in the first half of the 12th century. This tableman is in whalebone ivory and representing a dragon-like quadruped. There are traces of light blue, green and red colour.
The game of tables, or backgammon, was popular in the 11th and 12th centuries. There were 15 counters to each side, and 12th century boards inlaid with bone sections have been excavated at Gloucester and Saint-Denis. About 250 Romanesque tablemen with figurative designs survive. The game was popular throughout Northern Europe and the pieces were made in a number of different centres, with the most productive workshops based in Northern France and Cologne.
They are to be found in most museums with archaeological collections and difficult to date because of their simple ornament and the unchanging nature of their design.
The collecting of rarities and curiosities, assembled to form 'a goodly large cabinet wherein whatsoever the hand of man by exquisite art or engine has made rare' was increasingly popular with the educated gentry from 1600 onwards. Such 'cabinets of curiosity' were frequently housed in a room set aside for the purpose. 'Cabinets' often contained small-scale carvings and similar Malines alabasters were found among the 'Artificialls' in John Tradescant's collection, together with 'rare and ancient pieces in ivory' similar to this gamespiece.
The game of tables, or backgammon, was popular in the 11th and 12th centuries. There were 15 counters to each side, and 12th century boards inlaid with bone sections have been excavated at Gloucester and Saint-Denis. About 250 Romanesque tablemen with figurative designs survive. The game was popular throughout Northern Europe and the pieces were made in a number of different centres, with the most productive workshops based in Northern France and Cologne.
They are to be found in most museums with archaeological collections and difficult to date because of their simple ornament and the unchanging nature of their design.
The collecting of rarities and curiosities, assembled to form 'a goodly large cabinet wherein whatsoever the hand of man by exquisite art or engine has made rare' was increasingly popular with the educated gentry from 1600 onwards. Such 'cabinets of curiosity' were frequently housed in a room set aside for the purpose. 'Cabinets' often contained small-scale carvings and similar Malines alabasters were found among the 'Artificialls' in John Tradescant's collection, together with 'rare and ancient pieces in ivory' similar to this gamespiece.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Whalebone carved in high relief |
| Brief description | Tableman, whalebone ivory, broken, depicting a dragon-like quadruped biting a staff, Northern France, first half of the 12th century |
| Physical description | Broken tableman in disc-shaped bone with carving in high relief. It shows a quadruped bending its dragon-like head backwards. A tuft with foliate terminal emanates from its head. It is either sticking a very large tongue out, discorging a flame, or attempting to swallow a tapering brarnch. Border of palmette ornaments |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Purchased from Webb in 1871, £4. Historical significance: The plump chest and prancing attitude of the beast, standing free from the background, might be seen to anticipate the animals in the celebrated set of tablemen in the British Museum, and manuscript parallels for the palmette borders can be found even towards the end of the 12th century. |
| Historical context | The game of tables, or backgammon, was popular in the 11th and 12th centuries. There were 15 counters to each side, and 12th century boards inlaid with bone sections have been excavated at Gloucester and Saint-Denis. About 250 Romanesque tablemen with figurative designs survive. The game was popular throughout Northern Europe and the pieces were made in a number of different centres, with the most productive workshops based in Northern France and Cologne Rudimentary gaming pieces were made throughout Northern Europe in the 11th - 13th centuries. They are to be found in most museums with archaeological collections and difficult to date because of their simple ornament and the unchanging nature of their design. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is a tableman made in northern France, in the first half of the 12th century. This tableman is in whalebone ivory and representing a dragon-like quadruped. There are traces of light blue, green and red colour. The game of tables, or backgammon, was popular in the 11th and 12th centuries. There were 15 counters to each side, and 12th century boards inlaid with bone sections have been excavated at Gloucester and Saint-Denis. About 250 Romanesque tablemen with figurative designs survive. The game was popular throughout Northern Europe and the pieces were made in a number of different centres, with the most productive workshops based in Northern France and Cologne. They are to be found in most museums with archaeological collections and difficult to date because of their simple ornament and the unchanging nature of their design. The collecting of rarities and curiosities, assembled to form 'a goodly large cabinet wherein whatsoever the hand of man by exquisite art or engine has made rare' was increasingly popular with the educated gentry from 1600 onwards. Such 'cabinets of curiosity' were frequently housed in a room set aside for the purpose. 'Cabinets' often contained small-scale carvings and similar Malines alabasters were found among the 'Artificialls' in John Tradescant's collection, together with 'rare and ancient pieces in ivory' similar to this gamespiece. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 377-1871 |
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| Record created | September 9, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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