Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 9 pages
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
In medieval Scandinavia, the chess rook took the form of a watchman with his back to a fence instead of a medieval castle watchtower. In this example, the watchman blows his horn to signal trouble, holds a sword, and is accompanied at either side by two smaller military figures with shields. It bears the signature "H" on its base. Six other examples from the same workshop have survived, including a king, a queen and three rooks, now in collections in Paris (Musée National du Moyen Age), London (British Museum), and Copenhagen (Royal Collection).
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
9815
label
Chess Rook
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
9
Source metadata
id
9815
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Chess Rook
description
In medieval Scandinavia, the chess rook took the form of a watchman with his back to a fence instead of a medieval castle watchtower. In this example, the watchman blows his horn to signal trouble, holds a sword, and is accompanied at either side by two smaller military figures with shields. It bears the signature "H" on its base. Six other examples from the same workshop have survived, including a king, a queen and three rooks, now in collections in Paris (Musée National du Moyen Age), London (British Museum), and Copenhagen (Royal Collection).
provenance
[Found in London, on the edge of the Thames at Puddle Dock, Blackfriars, 1962]; Sale, London, Sotheby's, April 9, 1973, lot 14; Mrs. John Hunt, Dublin, Ireland; Walters Art Museum, 1977, by purchase with gifts donated to the Ross fund.
date
14th century (Medieval)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ivory & Bone
chessmen
imageCount
9
pageCount
9
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
6.2
height
4.4
dimensionsRaw
2 7/16 x 1 3/4 in. (6.2 x 4.4 cm)
Source extras
cul
Scandinavian
style
Gothic
inscriptions
[Signature] Inscribed on base: H
med
walrus ivory with brown stain
creator_ids
6578
collection_ids
MED
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
e5f4d3ed299df9e6
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
cbef4356bfd226a0
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
45962e85935e547d
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
31280267485c2a5e
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
541cb3c23e38c34b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
da4b7255a7057178
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
7
type
photo
mediaId
a39990da1d28e674
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
8
type
photo
mediaId
7c8011f42816ada3
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
9
type
photo
mediaId
c5f0d619d14f3e2e
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no