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

Nonfiction, History, Scandinavia, Medieval, Art & Architecture, Art History
Cover of the book Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them by Nancy Marie Brown, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Nancy Marie Brown ISBN: 9781466879133
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: September 1, 2015
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: Nancy Marie Brown
ISBN: 9781466879133
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: September 1, 2015
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book Impasse by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book The Power of the Sea by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book God on the Quad by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Scrappy by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Drop Dead Chocolate by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Extreme Science: The Highway of Light and Other Man-Made Wonders by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Wink of an Eye by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Cowboy Take Me Away by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Fertility, Pregnancy, and Childbirth: A Gynecologist Answers Your Most Important Questions by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Shakespeare's Champion by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book A Place of Safety by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Compassion by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book The Insider's Guide to the Colleges, 2014 by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book Snowed In with Murder by Nancy Marie Brown
Cover of the book The Final Season by Nancy Marie Brown
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy