The George E. Muehleck Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets at the Maryhill Museum of Art near Goldendale, Washington, displays an interesting variety of different chess set.
The origins of the game of chess have been traced back more than a thousand years ago to India. Chess appears to have evolved from the Indian game of Chaturanga which is played with two or four players. Chess first appears in Europe shortly before 1000 CE as a result of trade, possibly through Muslim controlled Spain. By 1500, chess had been shortened and standardized to resemble the game that is currently played throughout the world.
The display at the Maryhill Museum of Art explains:
“Early Indian and Persian chess pieces were probably carved to represent military individuals and their world—generals, soldier, elephants, horses, ships, camels and ramparts. When the game traveled to Arabia, the pieces became abstracted versions of these representational figures. In Europe, artists initially copied the Arabian models but soon created pieces reflecting Europe’s feudal societies—kings, queens, bishops, knights, castles and peasants or soldiers. As the popularity of the game grew, more abstract playing sets appeared. Today, chess sets can be found in a wide array of styles and patterns.”
Shown below are some of the chess sets which are on display at the Maryhill Museum of Art.
Shown above is a porcelain chess set created in 2008 by artist Inge Roberts. “This set draws on motifs from the famous eleventh-century Lewis ivory chessmen and elements of modern life.”
Shown above is a nineteenth-century chess and backgammon playing board from India.
Shown above is a Régence-Pattern Chess Set made about 1944 by the Tarascan Indians of Mexico.
Shown above is Story of the Ramayana which was made in the 1980s in Indonesia. This set is inspired by Java’s rich artistic tradition of rod puppetry. The figures are dancing gods and goddesses.
Shown above is a late twentieth-century Italian chess set featuring Charlemagne (742-814).
Shown above is a late nineteenth-century chess set from Indian featuring Alexander the Great vs King Pores of India.
Shown above is a chess set from Italy representing Christians battling Moors. This set was made in 1965.
Shown above is an abstract chess set by in Germany in 1975.
Shown above is an aluminum chess set made in 1983. This set was designed by Scott Wolfe. A total of 150 of these sets were made by Columbia Aluminum as gifts for corporate customers.
Shown above is a glazed ceramic Régence-Pattern chess set and board made in France.
Shown above is a twentieth-century metal chess set from France that was made more for display than for play.
The theme of the 1925 porcelain Russian chess set shown above is Socialists vs. Capitalists. It was designed by Natalya Yakovlevna Danko (1892-1942) and shows the citizens of the Soviet Union as people of the land with high moral character.
Shown above is Quest for the Holy Grail, made in Italy from 1970 to 1990.
Shown above is a late twentieth-century chess set known as The Medici which features the well-known Medici family of the Italian Renaissance.
Shown above is a zodiac-themed bronze chess set made in 1995. It was designed by Pacific Northwest sculptor Louise McDowell.
Shown above is an Amboyna Games Compendium from Great Britain. This was made between 1875 and 1885. It contains a Staunton-style chess set, backgammon, checkers, dominos, dice, cribbage, Bizet, playing cards, and a horse-racing game.