African Chessmen
A great many different chess sets were and are made all over Africa, in the most varied styles and materials - from the simple rag sets to the lavish ebony and ivory sets of former colonial days. Here are just a few ones the Museum has managed to acquire.
Congo ivories
Small ivory figurines showing a traditional central African tribal setup - one side in hippo tooth ivory (slim figurines!) the other in ebony. The pawns as warriors should be holding spears, seem to have gone missing - or has peace broken out? The kings stand 88 mm high, the bases of the white side are smeared with some kind of plastic glue - rests of felt pads ? ...Congo is of course just a guess - the set might just as well originate from Dahomey, Nigeria, or Cameroon - the headdresses of kings and queens might tell ...
Gambia
Well polished and tinted chess set from the Gambia, s I hav been able to confirm on a recent trip there. Similar sets with slight varaitions do pop up in Senegal and Ivory Coast. Kings stand 125 mm, all figures are highly stylized and standardized, reminiscent of masks! Possibly tourist craft, made in droves - but well made!