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At Age 850, Still in the Game

A Lewis chessman—this, a king. Thirty-four of the pieces will go on view. ENLARGE
A Lewis chessman—this, a king. Thirty-four of the pieces will go on view. The Trustees of the British Museum.

The Lewis Chessmen, found in a sandbank in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's chilly Outer Hebrides, remain a mystery. They were buried by a shipwrecked sailor, who was murdered by a herdsman, then were found by a peasant; or they were stolen by a boy who jumped ship, and were later dug out by a peasant's cow, as just some of the stories go.

But what experts do agree on is this: A carver in Trondheim, Norway, probably made the chessmen about 850 years ago, and they're exquisite pieces of both art and history. Neil MacGregor, the British Museum's director, recently selected them for his popular book and radio series "A History of the World in 100 Objects." Miri Rubin, a professor of medieval history at Queen Mary College, University of London, notes that while everyone knows about the ancient Mediterranean, the chessmen highlight "a developed sphere of North Sea trade, manufacture and exchange that is often ignored."

Now, the British Museum is lending 34 of its 67 chessmen—more than ever before—to the Cloisters branch of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. (The National Museum of Scotland owns another 11 pieces.)

Made of walrus tusk or whale's teeth, the Lewis Chessmen stem from four incomplete sets. They're creamy white, though traces of red—not black, as in chess today—remain on some pieces.

In his book, Mr. MacGregor explained that as the game of chess spread from its origins in seventh-century India, the pieces evolved to reflect the people who played it. The Lewis pawns are little slabs, signaling their place at the bottom of society. At the opposite end, the kings sit on elaborate thrones, swords across their laps.

Queens, replacing the viziers of Islamic chess sets, are wise but gloomy counselors, staring into the distance with their chins in their hands. Mitred bishops, the earliest surviving examples, have replaced the elephants of Indian chess, a statement of their lofty social status. Most intriguing are the "berserkers," who occupy the place of rooks. Fiercely chewing their swords, they show "the terrifying world of Nordic warfare," Mr. MacGregor says.

The Cloisters, the Metropolitan's medieval art branch in the far north of Manhattan, will display the pieces in "The Game of Kings: Medieval Ivory Chessmen from the Isle of Lewis," from Tuesday through April 22.

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