Chessmen (32)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The kings, rajahs, are in elaborate howdahs with double domes and projecting awnings held by two inclined poles, a form of howdah that was still used in the early nineteenth century. The minister (queen) is in an open howdah, but shaded by an umbrella. The original symbolism has been lost in this set, as is evident by the introduction of a lion on the British side in lieu of the elephant (bishop) and a rhinoceros on the Indian side - a peculiar innovation though the animal does exist in India. A cavalryman correctly acts as knight on the British side, and a cameleer with drawn sword, incorrectly, on the Indian side. The camel often appears in Indian chess sets in the position of the bishop, but not as the knight. The rooks are crenellated towers, with a soldier holding a flag on top. The pawns are standing soldiers, the British with muskets, the Hindus with long spears and round shields. The set, obviously, was not made for playing purposes.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art