Traveling Chess Set
primary
Unknown
Date19th century
Place MadeEngland, Europe
MediumWood with inlay and brass hinges; bone chessmen
Dimensions17.5 x 9.2 x 3.7 cm (6 7/8 x 3 5/8 x 1 7/16 in.)
ClassificationsArchival Material
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberU11n41
eMuseum ID729708
Previous Number177
EmbARK ObjectID11553
TMS Source ID747
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThe design of this folding game board is both clean and highly functional. When open, the board provides a relatively large area on which to play chess; peg holes keep each piece in place. When folded, the board becomes a perfect, easily transported rectangular box. This traveling chess set is made of wood with inlays, while the pieces are carved bone. The red and white pieces are an example of the St. George style, a chess set style popular in England before the black-and-white Staunton chess set became the standard style in 1849.
BibliographyNotesKathleen King, "Isabella's Desk of Curiosities in the Macknight Room," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 31 May 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/isabellas-desk-curiosities-macknight-room
ProvenanceNotesEntered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date.
