Chessman
Date: 1100s - 1200s
Chess came from India in the 500s and spread through the Arab world, reaching Europe in the late 900s. It became a popular war strategy game among the educated classes. Because of the ban on images of people and animals in Muslim countries the pieces became stylised, and the designs were adopted in Europe. This piece, a king, is a version of the Arabic design of an Indian king on an elephant. The ball on top represents the king, the diagonal grooves below are his throne (howdah) and the lower part of the piece is the elephant.
Accession number: 18680
Place of collection: St Swithin's House, 30-37 Walbrook EC4 [City of London] [GM158, 1949-1950] [Salters' Hall]
Material: bone
Measurements: H 44 mm; DM 26.5 mm
Gallery location: Case 17.5