- 102
A Fatimid rock crystal chess piece (probably a knight), Egypt, circa 11th century
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- rock crystal
the rock crystal of cylindrical form worked with vertical ribs, a central recession to top, and a triangular protrusion
Condition
In fairly good condition, some chips to extremities, notably to triangular protrusion, on the top of the chess piece and abrasion around vertical grooves consistent with age, some encrustation to top of chess piece, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Of oval form worked with vertical ribs and a triangular protrusion, this gaming piece exemplifies the non-figural type, examples of which can be found in varying materials testifying to the historically important tradition of the game and the evolution of its forms.
It is interesting to compare this piece, in terms of shape and size, with its ivory counterparts of the same period, examples of which are now in the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin, attributed to both the eight and ninth centuries as well as to the Fatimid period (Kuhnel 1971). The comparison with ivory is relevant, as owing to their similarly abstracted forms, scholars have hypothesised as to how both ivory and rock crystal examples would have been differentiated on the gaming board. It is most likely, as the scholar Mariam Rosser-Owen suggests, that the opposing sides were defined by their material composition, referencing an inventory of the Fatimid palace treasury in which accounts of chess sets describe them as composed from numerous materials including precious and semi-precious stones, gold, silver, ivory and ebony (Rosser-Owen 2004, p.22).
The present chess piece may have been used on a gamesboard against an opposing army of materially different gaming pieces or of pieces simply of varying shapes, as indicated by the extent of remaining examples of rock crystal gaming pieces, notably in the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna (Vienna 1998, cat.106, p.133-134) and the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyya in Kuwait (for further examples – see note to lot 100). The vertical rib design on the present piece recalls those on the pieces in the so-called Charlemagne chess set in St Peter’s Cathedral in Osnabrück, Germany, and those that originally formed a part of the Ager set now in the Museu de Lleida Diocesà i Comarcal in Lleida, Spain.
It is interesting to compare this piece, in terms of shape and size, with its ivory counterparts of the same period, examples of which are now in the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin, attributed to both the eight and ninth centuries as well as to the Fatimid period (Kuhnel 1971). The comparison with ivory is relevant, as owing to their similarly abstracted forms, scholars have hypothesised as to how both ivory and rock crystal examples would have been differentiated on the gaming board. It is most likely, as the scholar Mariam Rosser-Owen suggests, that the opposing sides were defined by their material composition, referencing an inventory of the Fatimid palace treasury in which accounts of chess sets describe them as composed from numerous materials including precious and semi-precious stones, gold, silver, ivory and ebony (Rosser-Owen 2004, p.22).
The present chess piece may have been used on a gamesboard against an opposing army of materially different gaming pieces or of pieces simply of varying shapes, as indicated by the extent of remaining examples of rock crystal gaming pieces, notably in the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna (Vienna 1998, cat.106, p.133-134) and the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyya in Kuwait (for further examples – see note to lot 100). The vertical rib design on the present piece recalls those on the pieces in the so-called Charlemagne chess set in St Peter’s Cathedral in Osnabrück, Germany, and those that originally formed a part of the Ager set now in the Museu de Lleida Diocesà i Comarcal in Lleida, Spain.