Chess Piece

This object is part of a group of carved ivory pieces that once formed a set for playing chess. Chess boards and pieces see a major development in the Islamic world, in particular during the Fatimid period in Cairo. As chess was an essential part of the elite’s entertainment, game boards and pieces were carved in a large range of luxury materials, such as rock crystal, gold or ivory, though other pieces made of inexpensive materials such as glass or bone would demonstrate how chess was equally played in the non-aristocratic parts of the society. While the first chessmen were figurative in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AH / 8th and 9th centuries CE, the Fatimid pieces show simplified forms of the original characters.