ticketsMember | Make a donation

Chessmen (32) in box

Designer Josef Hartwig German
1924
Not on view
The sphere, double cube, and three sizes of block, singly or combined, yield pieces that, despite their highly geometric stylization, are strongly suggestive of their rank or power. The bishops are clearly implied by the cross outline, and the rooks by the simple stablility of a cube. Most ingenious of all are the knights, formed of three double cubes joined in such a fashion that each face of the resulting form shows two cubes one above the other and a third on the side, an embodiment of the knight's move.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Chessmen (32) in box
  • Designer: Josef Hartwig (German, Munich 1880–1955 Frankfurt)
  • Date: 1924
  • Culture: German, Weimar
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: Height (each king, confirmed): 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm);
    Height (each pawn, confirmed): 13/16 × 13/16 × 13/16 in. (2.1 × 2.1 × 2.1 cm)
  • Classification: Chess Sets
  • Credit Line: Gift of Gustavus A. Pfeiffer, 1948
  • Object Number: 48.174.64a–p, aa–pp, r
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Chess Set, Josef Hartwig German, Linden wood, glass, paper, German (Weimar)
Chess Set
Josef Hartwig
Heinz Nösselt
ca. 1923
Chessmen (32), Hurba'n, Wood, painted, Hungarian, Kolozvar
Chessmen (32)
Hurba'n
ca. 1928
Chessmen (32), Wood, German, Bavaria
Chessmen (32)
German, Bavaria
early 20th century
Chessmen (32), Phyllis and Delphis Gardner, Boxwood, British, Maidenhead
Chessmen (32)
Phyllis and Delphis Gardner
ca. 1929
Chessmen (32), Wood, blond and dark, German, Oberammergau
Chessmen (32)
German, Oberammergau
ca. 1925

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.