Chess piece of a queen or king, carved walrus ivory, England (probably Yorkshire), ca. 1140-60

The oval-shaped block of walrus ivory is cut down at the front about 1 cm lower than the back half. Along the top is a narrow, uncarved, projection. On either side, in front, is a panel with a man and a woman riding on a goat, the man holding a sceptre (?) in his right hand. Above is a pearled border curving down at the sides and at the front a spine of quatrefoil panels with pearls at the sides. At the back, on either side, is a winged griffin attacking a horned quadruped, probably a bull. Above and to the left are borders of quatrefoil panels framed by lines of pearls, the central spine and right border consisting of large flat leaves. The border running along the bottom edge is made up of single leaves within a repeating chevron design. The semicircular lunette on top of the lower half contains a quadruped, possibly a leopard. On the top of the back or taller half are two human-headed fish, and on the front are two confronted dragon-like beasts with serpent tails.

The piece is very rubbed, especially at the sides, and has been chipped in places, most notably at the back on the lower border and on the upper plain projection. Certain details can be read more clearly in the illustrations published by Way in 1849. The pearled border directly above the quadruped has also been damaged. At some point, for no obvious reason, the underside of the piece was shaved away to give a curving, dished effect. The underside is plain, with a large section of secondary dentine visible, and with a circular label glued to it referring to an 'Ecclesiastical Art Exhibition' (held in Sheffield at a date before 1925; see Museum file, in letter from Mrs Stott, 30 April 1925). It was presumably number 427 in this exhibition, the number written in pencil at the centre.

The chess piece was first published in 1849, when in the possession of John Dixon in Leeds. It was reported then 'that it was found, about twenty years since [1829], amongst the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, in Yorkshire' (Way 1849, p. 170). It passed to his daughter, Jane Scott, who placed it on loan to the museum in 1925. Although bequeathed to the Museum by Mrs. Scott in 1940, no notification was received then (presumably due to war-time conditions) and the object was only formally accessioned in 2000.

Because of its throne-like shape, distinctive ridged projection on the top and subject matter the chess piece is probably a queen or king. Although there are no surviving comparable western pieces, several identifiable queens and kings in Fatimid chess sets have this form, and perhaps the closest Romanesque piece - in shape if not in subject matter - is the early twelfth-century South Italian ivory king now in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. It may be that the subject matter, with a couple riding on a goat, was intended as a parody of a royal progress, or as a warning against the danger of being transported by lust.

The figure style and ornamental vocabulary allow the chess piece to be dated to the second quarter or middle of the twelfth century, and given the find-spot of the object it is probable that it is English, possibly even made in Yorkshire. The somewhat rudimentary figures and animals on the ivory, combined with the use of pearl and foliate ornament, can be paralleled in stone sculptures of c. 1140-60 in York (Williamson 2010, p. 404).

The Cistercian abbey of Kirkstall, in the West Riding of Yorkshire outside Leeds, was founded in 1152 but this date does not necessarily provide a terminus post quem for the chess piece. The Cistercians of Kirkstall left the larger Fountains Abbey in 1147 to set up the new monastery, and an existing chess set could have easily been brought from there or elsewhere. Chess sets were clearly acceptable as ecclesiastical and monastic possessions by the middle of the twelfth century.

The chess piece was first published in 1849, when in the possession of John Dixon on Leeds. It was reported then ' that it was found, about twenty years since [1829], amongst the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, in Yorkshire'.
The chess piece is probably the king or queen. It may be that the subject matter, with a couple riding on a goat, was intended as a parody of a royal progress and / or a warning against the danger of being transported by lust.
Chess sets were clearly acceptable as ecclesiastical and monastic possessions by the middle of the 12th century.

A.40-2000