A RARE AND EARLY ISLAMIC CARVED LAPIS LAZULI ELEPHANT CHESS PIECE
WESTERN ASIA, PROBABLY EASTERN KHORASAN, 10TH/ 11TH CENTURY
Estimate: £3,000 - £5,000
Auction: 11 June 2025 from 10:00 BST
Description
in the form of an elephant carved with naturalistic details, the front with stylised trunk, eyes, and two protruding tusks, the top with stylised ears and folds of skin, the back and sides with three panels containing criss-cross designs, and a smaller design in bands above and below
Dimensions
5cm high
Footnote
Chess originated in India around the 7th century, where it was a war game with the different pieces representing elements of the classical Indian army and its leadership. Among these were the war elephants (Arabic fil, Persian pil), of which the present piece is a superb example. It is recognisable as such by the long trunk, small eyes, floppy ears and skin, and in particular the small protrusions either side of the eyes. The latter are highly stylised representations of the animal’s tusks, which by the early mediaeval period had been reduced to small nubs. In terms of design, the closest comparison to this piece is a much larger chess fil carved from emerald glass in the al-Sabah Collection, which has been attributed to the 10-11th century Eastern Iranian world. Although the present example is less monumental and more carefully carved, the semi-abstracted form of the elephant’s face is very similar. Another reason to attribute the present piece to eastern Khorasan is the use of lapis lazuli, a rare and precious material the only source of which in the mediaeval Eurasian world was Badakhshan in northern Afghanistan. This would suggest that the present piece would have been carved near where this stone was sourced (see W. Greenwood, Kings & Pawns: Board Games from India to Spain, Akkadia Press: 2014, pp. 6-21, 78-9, 162-3).