• Home
  • About
  • Afrikaanse gedigte poems
  • Chess and the benefits
  • Links
  • Poems – gedigte – own
  • SA History
  • South African Recipes

Chessalee

Everything/Anything and…Chess…"Despite the documented evidence by chess historian HJR Murray, I've always thought that chess was invented by a goddess"–George Koltanowski: from the foreword to:"Women in chess, players of the Modern Age"

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Transformasie
Chess-kids »

Lewis chessmen reunited

01/10/2009 by Nikita

Lewis men

Click on the image for a clear view

I would love to have a chess set like the Lewis chess-men! Have you seen them in the British Museum? They are beautiful!

Lewis chessmen reunited after 170 years for tour of ScotlandFigures carved from whale teeth and walrus ivory found in Western Isles at some point before 1831
They were worked from polished walrus ivory and whale teeth by Norse craftsmen more than 800 years ago, and weigh in at less than 245 grams.

Now, more than 170 years after the Lewis chessmen were found buried under a Scottish beach, many will be reunited after years of wrangling.

The Scottish culture minister, Michael Russell, and Bonnie Greer, the deputy chair of the British Museum’s trustees, confirmed 30 of the 93 chess pieces will be reunited for the first time in more than a century for a tour of Scotland.

The Lewis chessmen have puzzled historians and irritated Scottish nationalists since they were found on a beach on Uig, on the west side of Lewis in the Western Isles, at some point before 1831.

Some believe they may have been buried for safekeeping by a merchant travelling from Norway to Ireland; others think they belonged to a nobleman in what was then a powerful island kingdom linked to Norway.

The set was broken up after being exhibited by the Scottish Society of Antiquaries in 1831, which could not afford to buy it. An Edinburgh dealer sold the pieces for 80 guineas to the British Museum, which now holds 82 of them. The remaining 11 are kept by the National Museum of Scotland.

Russell said the Scottish National party government firmly believed the entire set belonged in Scotland, but had compromised with the British Museum.

Nationalists claim the controversy is akin to the row over the Elgin marbles, but others say the chessmen were freely sold when Scotland could not afford them.

Source:Here

Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Chess, Lewis Chess, skaak | Tagged Chess, chess news, Lewis Chess men, skaak | 11 Comments

11 Responses

  1. on 02/10/2009 at 00:00 kindredspiritks

    A very interesting bit of history. It reminds me of the result of my investigation into the Paul Morphy Set and it’s whereabouts. The journey traveled from New Orleans to New York, the two souls of American Chess history. Luckily I was able to dig up what more industrious adventurers into the maze found through their writings.
    Don.


    • on 02/10/2009 at 06:53 Nikita

      Hi Don
      You should do an entry on your blog about it! It would be interesting to read all about it.


  2. on 02/10/2009 at 05:30 Connie

    Very nice pieces! Amazing detail.


    • on 02/10/2009 at 06:54 Nikita

      Hi Connie, Yes, they are. I have photos taken in the museum, but they are not that great to post here. They are really beautiful.


    • on 02/10/2009 at 20:24 Connie

      Ek het op Wikipedia nog fotos gesien oa fotos wat in die museum geneem is.


    • on 03/10/2009 at 01:27 Nikita

      hi Connie, ek het omtrent 10 van hulle op my rekenaar wat ek op ‘n site gekry het, baie mooi en duidelik. Ek sal kyk of ek hulle oor die naweek kan oplaai.


  3. on 02/10/2009 at 12:10 Vlam

    Regtig mooi. Moet se, met my “Skotse konneksie” dink ek ook die hele lot hoort in Skotland. 😉

    En geluk met die feit dat julle ‘n ‘outstanding’ skool is!


    • on 02/10/2009 at 19:18 Nikita

      Hi Vlam, dankie vir die gelukwense, ons het dit in ‘n Pub gaan vier.. 🙂 The Pink Lily.. elkeen ‘n drankie “op die huis”. Ek moet se, ons is almal nogal poegaai en die hoof smile lekker breed. Ja, ek sal ook wil he die skaakstukke moet Skotland toe gaan, hierdie Britte het net als vir hulle in die verlede gesteel. Daar is nog ander dinge ook wat moet teruggaan na ander lande wat in hierdie museum van hulle is. Baie inhalig, hierdie Ingilse! 🙂


  4. on 06/10/2009 at 16:30 Dan

    Hmm. I always thought that the Lewis chessmen were here in Cleveland. Maybe I’m thinking of a similar set. I’ll have to check it out the next time I’m in the other building.


  5. on 06/10/2009 at 16:40 Dan

    I guess “ours” are fakes, LOL! http://www.cpl.org/010012/chess/enchanted/CHESS69.html


    • on 06/10/2009 at 18:43 Nikita

      They are “fake” [haha…]



Comments are closed.

  • Follow Chessalee on WordPress.com
  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 287 other subscribers
  • Spoken by great men:"Give me 20 divisions of American soldiers and I will breach Europe. Give me 15 consisting of Englishmen and I will advance to the borders of Berlin. Give me two divisions of those marvellous fighting Boers and I will remove Germany from the face of the earth." - Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, Commander of the Allied Forces during WW2.

  • "The Americans fight for a free world, the English mostly for honour, glory and medals, the French and Canadians decide too late that they have to participate. The Italians are too scared to fight, the Russians have no choice. The Germans for their Fatherland. The Boers? Those sons of Bitches fight for the hell of it." American General, George 'Guts and Glory' Patton.

  • Latest Posts

    • Concerto for two and three movements
    • War-time Chess
    • Queen Elizabeth II
    • Vroue het deur die eeue skaak gespeel
    • War Time Chess
  • Top Posts & Pages

    • Heerlike Suid-Afrikaanse Resepte
    • Traditional Afrikaans songs
    • Boer War Art Poetry and History
    • Happy Valentine's Day!
    • Alice in Wonderland's Mysterious Chess Game
    • Groete aan Mannetjies Roux
    • Pierneef....well-known SA artist
    • Wolf and Jackal Stories
    • Die Berggans het 'n veer laat val
    • Lekker Afrikaanse kinderstories
  • October 2009
    M T W T F S S
     1234
    567891011
    12131415161718
    19202122232425
    262728293031  
    « Sep   Nov »
  • Afrikaans Afrikaanse gedigte Afrikaans poems Afrikaans songs Anand Art books Carlsen Chess chess art chess games Chess Grandmasters chess movies chess news Chess South Africa chess tournaments classical music food gedigte History London Magnus Carlsen Melissa Greeff Mp3 music files music music audio files music files music videos musiek nature news poems Poetry poets Pretoria Radjabov recipes resepte skaak Skaak Suid-Afrika South Africa South African artists stories Suid-Afrika Topalov

  • Live chess ratings top 10 - men 2700chess.com for more details and full list
  • Live chess rating: Top 10 - women 2700chess.com/women for more details and full list

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • Chessalee
    • Join 287 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Chessalee
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: