Chessmen (32)
Unknown Artist
late 18th–19th century
Medium
Bone
Dimensions
Height (each rook): 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm); Height (each pawn): 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm)
Classification
Chess Sets
Culture
French, Dieppe
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Gustavus A. Pfeiffer, 1948
Accession Number
48.174.142a–p, aa–pp
Tags
Art Historical Context
These elegant Chessmen, comprising 32 pieces crafted from bone by an unknown artist in late 18th– to 19th-century France, hail from the renowned ivory-carving workshops of Dieppe, Normandy. Standing at 3½ inches (8.9 cm) for the rooks and 2¼ (5.7 cm) for the pawns, turned bone figures exemplify the precision and delicacy of Dieppe's decorative arts tradition. Bone, a durable and accessible material, served as a practical alternative to ivory, allowing skilled artisans to produce affordable yet refined gaming sets for Europe's growing middle class. Dieppe chessmen like these were highly prized...