Chess Sets from the Maryhill Museum of Art

Checkmate! Chess Sets from the Maryhill Museum of Art Since its conception 1400 years ago, the game of chess has spread throughout the world, crossing cultural and political boundaries. This exhibition looks at the wide range of chess sets made during the past 250 years by diverse cultures from Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. While following the game’s predetermined structure of thirty-two game pieces, artists and artisans have worked within the standards of traditional set designs, along with bringing their own creativity and interpretation to the chess set. The resulting sets present a history of the game along with a wide variety of themes and materials. Created with wood, glass, bone, ivory, and plastic, they include traditional styles, narrative depictions of mythological characters and historical figures, and abstract, nonfigurative designs. Early versions of the game now known as chess first emerged in India in the 7th century CE as a game called chaturanga. It soon migrated to Persia, where the name changed to chatrang and then shatranj. This was during the Islamic Golden Age, a time of significant cultural, economic, and scientific advances in the Middle East, beginning in the 8th century and lasting through the 13th century. The game was played by caliphs and ordinary people, young and old alike, leveling the social classes in ways that had not occurred before. It has often been explained that chess was invented to make the abstract visible and to serve as a tool for understanding the world. It was also a game of war designed to teach peace—by resolving conflict through intellect not physical power. Chess is a game where free will and thought triumph over fate. This concept, that individual choices, talent, and effort could determine one’s destiny as opposed to fortune and luck alone, was first gaining recognition at the time the game was conceived. Chess reflected that concept clearly, and it is an important milestone in human development. As the game migrated from the Middle East to Europe, and Medieval culture evolved, so did chess. The name shifted from the Arabic shatranj to the Latin ludus scacorum (”the game of the chessman”) and from there to chess. Some of the game pieces and rules also changed, reflecting the new cultures that were adopting the game. The Queen piece, which first replaced the “counselor” piece in the 10th century, was bestowed with new powers in response to the rise of Queen Isabella in Spain in the late 1400s. The queen then became the most powerful piece on the board, reflecting Isabella’s influence and power. In Europe, game-piece designs became more representational, books about the game were written, and expertise in the game was considered one of the essential skills for every knight. Chess had become not only an important part of the culture but also served as a metaphor for understanding societal relationships within the culture. While the modern game was established during the European Renaissance, it continued to play an important role during the Age of Enlightenment. It was famously played by Benjamin Franklin, who relished the symbolism of the game and its use as a tool of diplomacy. A range of different chess sets, both standard and creative designs, emerged during the 19th and 20th centuries. These sets often reflect colonial and political power relationships as well as narratives based on mythology and literature. A wide variety of materials was also used during this time, and those materials also tell a story about the place and time the sets were made. The exhibition is curated from the beloved collection of over 400 chess sets at Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington. Chess sets have a long history at Maryhill, going back to an early director, Clifford Dolph, who first curated a chess exhibition in 1957. Today, Maryhill’s George E. Muehleck Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets houses a permanent exhibition featuring sets and pieces from all corners of the world. Checkmate! Chess Sets from the Maryhill Museum of Art has been supported with funds from the HFMA Exhibition Fund and by general operating support grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is most grateful to Colleen Schafroth, Executive Director of the Maryhill Museum of Art, for her guidance and direction during the selection of works in the exhibition, and for writing the labels that accompany the individual chess sets. Jonathan Bucci The John Olbrantz Curator of Collections and Exhibitions.

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