(Jazz music)
Hello, I'm Hartwig Fischer,
Director of the British Museum in London.
Welcome to Bank of America's Masterpiece Moment.
Today, I'd like to talk about the Lewis chess pieces
and tell you why I think they are masterpieces,
as a group and individually.
The Lewis chess pieces are perhaps
the most famous chess pieces in the world.
They were part of a remarkable hoard,
or group, of walrus ivory
and whale tooth objects
discovered in Uig Bay
on the Outer Hebridean Isle of Lewis,
off the coast of northwest Scotland,
in or before 1831.
To look at the pieces
set up on a board
is to see a microcosm of medieval society,
from enthroned kings and queens
to powerful bishops,
mounted knights,
standing warders
and anonymous, obelisk-shaped pawns.
The 78 Lewis chess pieces are remarkable
both because of the incredible detail
with which they were fashioned
and the individual personality imbued in each piece.
Eleven are at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh,
and the rest are in the British Museum,
six of which are on long-term loan
to the Museum nan Eilean on the Isle of Lewis.
Made in the second half of the twelfth century,
probably in Trondheim, Norway,
nearly four complete chess sets
can be made up of the pieces,
and they demonstrate the popularity of the game
among the elite of that time.
Also in the hoard are fourteen blank discs,
which would have been decorated and used to play Tables,
a form of backgammon that was popular at this time.
And there is also an intricately carved belt buckle.
It is not known for certain
where the chess pieces were made
or how they came to be on the Isle of Lewis.
They might have belonged to a trader
traveling from Norway who stopped at Lewis-
or perhaps they were intended for local island nobility.
The history of chess is an international story of travel
and the exchange of ideas.
Chess is believed to have begun in seventh-century India,
and from there it spread to many regions.
Its journey westwards passed into Iran,
and then into the expanding Islamic Arabic empire.
By the twelfth century,
the board game had gained prominence
in northwestern Europe,
and the style of the pieces became figurative,
morphing into the positions
found in royal courts.
Many of our visitors find the figures amusing,
with their bulbous eyes
and intense expressions;
but these are also complex objects,
and a close look reveals
the wealth of detail in these miniature marvels.
When the kings and queens are turned around,
we see that each one is seated
on an intricate and uniquely carved throne.
Here, a mass of swirling,
interlaced tendrils and snapping beasts
crawl across the face of each seat.
One of my favorite things about these objects
is their characterization.
Here, the crowned king
is the epitome of strength and authority,
with his hands gripping the sword in his lap.
It is a dynamic image,
and he appears as if he is about to leap out of his seat
and strike down his opponent.
All of the kings are bearded,
and most have thick hair,
which falls down their backs in tendrils.
The queen is particularly interesting.
She is luxuriously dressed,
rests her head in one hand
and, in some of the pieces,
also holds a horn.
You might think that she looks unhappy.
What this enigmatic expression means, however,
is the subject of debate.
Next on the board comes the bishop.
All are richly dressed in robes.
They wear the symbolic headgear of the bishop,
known as a miter,
and on the back are two bands of textile,
or lappets, hanging down.
They hold their staff of office,
called a crozier,
which takes the form of a curled shepherd's crook.
Some clutch books,
and others raise their fingers in blessing.
In the modern game of chess,
the bishop is a standard piece.
However, around the time that the Lewis hoard was made,
it was unusual to find bishops on the board.
This is one of the signs that marks
the growing popularity of the game
in western Europe.
Moving on to the mounted knights:
They are all riding stocky horses
and are fully dressed for war,
carrying large kite-shaped shields,
holding spears
and wearing helmets,
some of which have distinctive nose guards
and ear flaps.
A lively depiction of martial power,
these knights remind us
that chess is no genteel game
and that it reflected
the threat of battle
in the real world.
Standing on all four corners of the board
are the warders, or rooks.
A number of these
are striking an unusual pose.
With their shields and upright swords
held in front of them,
all are leaning forward,
with their teeth on show,
clearly biting down onto the tops of their shields.
These are known as berserkers,
from the Old Norse "berserkir,"
evoking the furious warriors from heroic sagas
who enter the battlefield,
driven wild with rage-
hence, the modern word "berserk."
Today, these objects continue to capture the imagination.
One thing you might not know
is that the pieces have starred in film and television,
from "The Lion in Winter"
to "The Walking Dead."
I want to thank you for taking the time to watch today
and to learn more about the Lewis chess pieces.
I encourage you to join the conversation
and discuss them with friends and family.
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