Checkmate

   To the National Museum of Scotland to see the exhibition The Lewis Chessmen: Unmasked. The thirteenth century pieces - ninety three of them - were discovered on this beach in 1831, but their origins and their history remain obscure. They are fascinating, nonetheless, and if you have a chance to see the exhibition anywhere on its travels, do go; there is also an accompanying book.

 

Comments

[Lyn]

I love the Chessmen, I've always been fascinated by them. The expressions on their faces! The Queens (I think) with their heads in their hands. The Viking Knights. Just brilliant.

[Elizabeth]

I too adore the Chessmen. There is an early Alice Starmore knitting book, Knitting from the British Isles, which has a pattern for a vest with the Chessmen knitted in - I always meant to make it but now don't know if I even still have the book. More recently, Jan Messent features them in her beautiful book Celtic, Viking and Anglo-Saxon Embroidery. Glad you had such a lovely birthday, Karen!

[Fran H-B]

I first read about the Lewis chessman when about 10 or 11 in a book by Geoffry Grigson called Looking and Finding. On our next visit to London I was taken to the British Museum to see these delightful pieces. How lovely to see them all together. I adore the fringe on the horse of the knight.

[Nancy]

Another fan of the Lewis chessmen here! Each time I visit the British Museum I have to 'touch base' with them - a given. The first time I saw them I bought a replica piece - hand to face - in the gift shop. I have several books about them - a couple of them are aimed at children, one of which has them pitched in a royal battle with the opposing side (wonder where that is at the moment).

I remember when these came up once before & you shared a picture taken at the airport of a very large replica.

[Becky]

I *HAVE* one of them. . . well, a replica, of course. A dear friend of ours from Edinborough who lived in Maine for a few years gave me one as a birthday present. None of us had heard about them until then, but I love their craggy, interesting faces.