Nine Men's Morris
Games Board
1978 (made)
1978 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Desmond Ryan trained as a furniture designer, but is best known for his small-scale woodwork, including clocks, boxes and vases. He creates precise geometric shapes using a mixture of traditional techniques and modern machine tools. The combination of British and tropical hardwoods in this piece is typical of his work.
Nine Men's Morris is a game for two players, each of whom has nine pieces. The aim is to get three of your pieces in a row; this is called a Mill. The players take turns to lay their pieces on the board. Once all of the pieces are laid, the players take turns to move them by sliding them across the board to an adjacent position. When one player forms a Mill, they can remove one of the other player's pieces. You win when your opponent has only two pieces left, or is unable to move. The game has ancient origins, and was particularly popular in medieval England.
Nine Men's Morris is a game for two players, each of whom has nine pieces. The aim is to get three of your pieces in a row; this is called a Mill. The players take turns to lay their pieces on the board. Once all of the pieces are laid, the players take turns to move them by sliding them across the board to an adjacent position. When one player forms a Mill, they can remove one of the other player's pieces. You win when your opponent has only two pieces left, or is unable to move. The game has ancient origins, and was particularly popular in medieval England.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Nine Men's Morris (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Burr walnut and Indian ebony marquetry |
| Brief description | Games board, 'Nine Men's Morris', designed and made by Desmond Ryan, walnut and ebony marquetry, 1978 |
| Physical description | A games board and counters in contrasting tones of light and dark wood. The surface design is formed of squares of different sizes punctuated by small circles. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Games board and counters:
Nine Men's Morris
Designed and made by Desmond Ryan
(British, born 1941), 1978
Burr walnut and Indian ebony parquetry
W.55-1978
This game first appeared in Europe in the Bronze Age reaching the height of its popularity in the 14th century. The eighteen turned counters are here stored i two drawers on opposite sides. The use of burr walnut and ebony recalls fashions in 18th-century cabinet-making and imbues this example with an air of antiquity.(1997) |
| Credit line | Given by the maker |
| Historical context | Nine Men's Morris is a game for two players. Eighteen pieces are used, nine black, nine white. One player has the black pieces, the other has the white. The players take turns to lay the pieces on the board. Pieces are laid on the corners and junctions. When all the pieces are laid the players take turns to slide a piece of their colour along a line to an adjacent empty corner or junction. A line of three pieces of the same colour is called a Mill. A player forming a Mill removes one of the other player's pieces. A removed piece is not used again. A player wins when the other player has only two pieces left or is unable to move. It was often played in taverns, since it was a game that was fun yet required very little thought. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Desmond Ryan trained as a furniture designer, but is best known for his small-scale woodwork, including clocks, boxes and vases. He creates precise geometric shapes using a mixture of traditional techniques and modern machine tools. The combination of British and tropical hardwoods in this piece is typical of his work. Nine Men's Morris is a game for two players, each of whom has nine pieces. The aim is to get three of your pieces in a row; this is called a Mill. The players take turns to lay their pieces on the board. Once all of the pieces are laid, the players take turns to move them by sliding them across the board to an adjacent position. When one player forms a Mill, they can remove one of the other player's pieces. You win when your opponent has only two pieces left, or is unable to move. The game has ancient origins, and was particularly popular in medieval England. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.55-1978 |
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| Record created | July 18, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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