Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them

In the early 1800 s, on a Hebridean beach in Scotland, the sea exposed an ancient treasure cache 93 chessmen carved from walrus ivory Norse netsuke, each face individual, each full of quirks, the Lewis Chessmen are probably the most famous chess pieces in the world Harry played Wizard s Chess with them in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer s Stone Housed at the British Museum, they are among its most visited and beloved objects.Questions abounded Who carved them Where Nancy Marie Brown s Ivory Vikings explores these mysteries by connecting medieval Icelandic sagas with modern archaeology, art history, forensics, and the history of board games In the process, Ivory Vikings presents a vivid history of the 400 years when the Vikings ruled the North Atlantic, and the sea road connected countries and islands we think of as far apart and culturally distinct Norway and Scotland, Ireland and Iceland, and Greenland and North America The story of the Lewis chessmen explains the economic lure behind the Viking voyages to the west in the 800s and 900s And finally, it brings from the shadows an extraordinarily talented woman artist of the twelfth century Margret the Adroit of Iceland. Read Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them – kino-fada.fr When ninety three meticulously carved, 12th century, walrus ivory chessmen were discovered in the decidedly protestant sands of Scotland s Isle of Lewis in 1831, a haul that included 16 alarmingly Catholic looking bishops, no one knew where they had come from Fairies , and while we still aren t sure of their origins today there are some passionately held theories, a subject that this book explores in fascinating detail The chessmen themselves are fantastic looking, with distinct irresistible When ninety three meticulously carved, 12th century, walrus ivory chessmen were discovered in the decidedly protestant sands of Scotland s Isle of Lewis in 1831, a haul that included 16 alarmingly Catholic looking bishops, no one knew where they had come from Fairies , and while we still aren t sure of their origins today there are some passionately held theories, a subject that this book explores in fascinating detail The chessmen themselves are fantastic looking, with distinct irresistible facial expressions and elaborate garments The kings and queens sit on ornate thrones, the knights are ast...Disclaimer ARC via Netgalley I know very little about chess I know how to play, I m not very good, and I think some of the chess sets, the Lewis chessmen included, are awesome works of art That s about it Oh, and I like the horses, and my favorite rooks are castles on elephants Just so you know Brown s easy to read book is about the famous Lewis Chessman, and if you don t recognize the term Lewis Chessmen, don t worry You have most likely seen a picture of them somewhere, so odds are you Disclaimer ARC via Netgalley I know very little about chess I know how to play, I m not very good, and I think some of the chess sets, the Lewis chessmen included, are awesome works of art That s about it Oh, and I like the horses, and my favorite rooks are castles on ...I ve been intrigued by the Lewis chess set since I first saw pieces in Edinburgh and London long ago on early research trips Brown carefully reconstructs the world that made them a flourishing Iceland, embedded in a North Atlantic trade empire of walrus tusks, walrus skin sailing ropes and Viking navigational daring drawn to Abbasid silver down the rivers of Russia Identifying the Bishop who most likely commissioned them, and his network of family and educational contacts from England to I ve been intrigu...I was disappointed by this book, the theory the author presents while plausible and interesting remains nothingthan a theory The subject of the book which is the Lewis chessmen pieces are never given a solid point of origin in this book, the author also recognizes that while her theory that the chessmen were made in Norway by a ...Why do the publishers of popular history works so often insist on giving them titles which set up grand claims that the book can t possibly answer, and which often don t really convey what the text is about This is one of the main flaws with Ivory Vikings The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them Nancy Marie Brown does suggest that a woman called Margret the Adroit, mentioned briefly in a medieval Icelandic text largely unknown even to most medievalists, Why do the publishers of popular history works so often insist on giving them titles which set up grand claims that the book can t possibly answer...I thought I was buying a book about the Lewis chessmen I ve been to the beach where they found them and I ve seen them in the British Museum so I was interested to learnThe book s title is a play on words though The author aims to solve the mystery of where the chessmen came from and who carved them In the process, we learn about the hugely profitable trade in walrus ivory in medieval times and before, about the dev...Look at them They are so captivating I ll be honest, I went into this book with completely different expectations I read this as a book talking about chess masters throughout the ages and the women who made them Turns out that this is about the Lewis chessmen and the woman wholiterally made them Chess is a historic pastime that has traversed down to today s generation It s played by the rich, poor, old, young, friends, snobs, family, and experts It s a universal game because of its Look at them They are so captivating I ll be honest, I went into this book with completely different expectations I read this as a book talking about chess masters throughout the ages and the women who made them Turns out that this is about the Lewis chessmen and the woman wholiterally made them Chess is a historic pastime that has traversed down to today s generation It s played by the rich, poor, old, young, friends, snobs, family, and experts It s a universal game because of its infinite play ability Every time you play, you learnAnd of course, due to the illustriousness of the game, thousands of sets have been created With its famous players, the physical representation of chess becomes a board for every artist out there There are many chess sets in the world Those of great prestige and valor belonged to the rich, famous, and royal We often know who owned them whether they actually played them is another question but the Lewis chessmen are a complete mystery Very little is...Thanks St Martin s Press and netgalley for arc If I ever make it across the pond, I would love to vist these chessmen Just the right amount of fact and fiction to keep it exciting, this book reads like a viking saga Loved itAnyone fascinated by Northern medieval culture, archaeology and art history, trade in walrus ivory or the history of chess will be happy to lose herself in this book Brown s books are always thoughtfully researched and engagingly written her background as science writer, researcher and editor helps with both but her enthusiasm for all things Icelandic and Scandinavian lights up the coverage In the same vein, I ve previously read among others her Far Traveller Voyages of a Viking Woman, Anyone fascinated by Northern medieval culture, archaeology and art history, trade in walrus ivory or the history of chess will be happy to lose herself in this book Brown s books are always thoughtfully researched and engagingly written her background as science writer, researcher and editor helps with both but her enthusiasm for all things Icelandic and Scandinavian lights up the coverage In the same vein, I ve previously read among others her Far Traveller Voyages of a Viking Woman, looking at the voyages to North America and Greenland of Gudrid from the Vinland sagas, and she has written severalI d like to get to, including one on the ancient breed of Icelandic horse The book loo...This is a great book for putting the Lewis chessmen into context, filled with lots of fascinating info about the chessmen themselves, the historical development of chess and the world of 8th 12th century Scandinavia Each chapter starts by examining one of the Lewis chess pieces and then segues into a discussion of relevant history While I ve studied the vikings as raiders and invaders of the British Isles, my understanding of them was a little one dimensional and I didn t know anything about This is a great book for putting the Lewis chessmen into context, filled with lots of fascinating info about the chessmen themselves, the historical development of chess and the world of 8th...

• English
• 08 May 2018
Nancy Marie Brown
• Hardcover
• 280 pages
• 1137279370
• Nancy Marie Brown
• Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them