The Lewis Chessmen
The British Museum exists to tell the story of cultural
achievement throughout the world, from the dawn of human history
over two million years ago until the present day. The Museum is a
unique resource for the world: the breadth and depth of its
collection allows the public to re-examine cultural identities and
explore the complex network of interconnected world cultures.
Within the context of this unparalleled collection, the Lewis
Chessmen are an important symbol of European civilisation. Each
year millions of visitors, free of charge, admire the chessmen at
the British Museum and they are frequently loaned for display in
museums across the country and across globe.
What are they?
The Lewis Chessmen form a remarkable group of
iconic objects within the world collection of the British Museum.
They were probably made in Norway, about AD 1150-1200. At this
period, the Western Isles, where the chessmen were buried, were
part of the Kingdom of Norway, not Scotland. It seems likely they
were buried for safe keeping on route to be traded in Ireland.
The chessmen testify to the strong cultural
and political connections between Britain and Scandinavia in the
Middle Ages, and to the growing popularity within Europe of the
game of chess, the origins of which lie in ancient India.
Of the 93 pieces known to us today, 11
pieces are in Edinburgh at the National Museum of Scotland,
and 82 are in the British Museum. The chess pieces consist of
elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales' teeth in the forms of
seated kings and queens, bishops, knights on their mounts, standing
warders and pawns in the shape of obelisks.
What is their history?
The chessmen were found in the vicinity of Uig
on the Isle of Lewis some time before 11 April 1831. The precise
findspot seems to have been a sand dune where they may have been
placed in a small, drystone chamber.
The assemblage was initially shown at the
Scottish Antiquaries Society in Edinburgh which hoped to acquire it
but was unsuccessful in its fundraising efforts. The dealer
offering the hoard for sale, Mr T.A. Forrest, then approached the
British Museum who acquired it between November 1831 and January
1832.
It is possible that they belonged to a
merchant travelling from Norway to Ireland. This seems likely since
there are enough pieces - though with some elements missing – to
make four sets.
Where are they on display?
The British Museum has made the Lewis Chessmen
in its collection freely accessible since the nineteenth century.
There are currently 58 pieces on display in Room 2 and
Room
41, with the remaining pieces undergoing conservation. They are
hugely popular with the Museum’s visitors who can admire them
alongside other masterpieces of European civilisation and can
compare and contrast them to other world cultures.
They have been frequently loaned to venues
across Britain and Europe and most recently, Asia.
From 1995, chessmen with other items have been
lent periodically to Museum nan Eilean, Stornoway. Forty-five
chessmen were shown as part of The Lewis Chessmen
exhibition there from June to October 1995. The exhibition
then travelled to the National Museum of Scotland from October 1995
to January 1996. Thirteen chessmen were lent to Stornoway as
part of a larger loan of objects to the exhibition Norse and
Viking Isles: Gall Ghadheil from 4 April 2000 to 14 October
2000. At the same time four other pieces were lent to the
exhibition Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga which was held
at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. from 29 April 2000 to
5 September 2000 and moved to the American Museum of Natural
History, New York from 21 October 2000 to 18 January 2001.
Between 2003 and 2006 seven pieces toured the
country, travelling to Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle and Norwich,
as part of the exhibition Buried Treasure: finding our
past.
Over a two-year period from January 2005-7, 24
of the chessmen were the centrepiece of Across the Board,
Around the World in 18 Games, a highly successful exhibition
seen by 128,000 people in Newcastle, Exeter, Gosport in Hampshire,
Leicester, Lincoln and Luton. Audiences of all ages were enthralled
by the Chessmen with many visitors travelling considerable
distances to see them. Another, smaller group has recently toured
East Asia as part of the British Museum show Treasures of the
World’s Cultures where they were appreciated by 2.7 million
visitors in 10 venues.
From spring 2009, the chessmen will form a
centrepiece of a new gallery on medieval Europe at the British
Museum.
The British Museum and Scotland
The British Museum has close relations with
the National Museums and Galleries of Scotland, frequently lending
material to Edinburgh. The principal member of our Partnership UK
scheme in Scotland is Glasgow Museums service where we have a major
long-term loan of 84 Egyptian objects at Kelvingrove. Since 2004 we
have also sent the Queen of the Night, the Emperor's Terrapin and
an acclaimed William Blake exhibition: Mind-forg'd Manacles:
William Blake and Slavery, to the Burrell Collection. In 2009
the Burrell will host another British Museum touring exhibition:
Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes, the largest
group of ancient Greek material ever to be lent by the British
Museum. In 2005 the Throne of Weapons was shown at Perth Museum and
Art Gallery and we are currently in discussion with Aberdeen Art
Gallery about two future exhibitions.
Future Plans
The British Museum is committed to maintaining
and extending access to the chessmen for its audiences across the
UK and the world. The Museum is currently working in partnership
with the National Museum of Scotland and Museum nan Eilean on a
programme of loans to Stornoway and elsewhere in Scotland as part
of its Partnership UK scheme.
January 2008