Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

Title: Chess Piece of a Queen
Creator:
Description: The game of chess reached Western Europe in the ninth century and was a favorite pastime of the nobility. Medieval chess pieces were carved in fine detail and often possessed humorous faces. This chess piece of a queen was made in Spain during the twelfth century. Its design was probably based on models of queen pieces from the Arabic world, however thisparticular queen piece wears a headdress indicative of twelfth century Spanish royalty. She is shown sitting inside her castle, which possesses many arched windows and doors. The carver intentionally presented the figure of the queen and the castle to be the same size, a design feature that was in accordance with the visual and artistic conventions of the central medieval period.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Rights: Public domain
Subject (See Also): Castles Chess Games Queens
Geographic Area: Iberia
Century: 12
Date:
Related Work:
Current Location: Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD, Walters 71145
Original Location:
Artistic Type (Category): Digital Images; Sculptures
Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Chess Piece; Whale Ivory (Ivory and Bone)
Donor:
Height/Width/Length(cm): 7.1 cm/4.4 cm/
Inscription:
Related Resources: Martina Bagnoli and Kathryn Gerry, The Medieval World: The Walters Art Museum, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore in association with D Giles Limited, London, 2011, pg. 149-150