The Book of Chess

1483

Not on view

This book about the game of chess and the ranks of society is the fourth German, second Strasburg edition. The woodcuts are based on the ones found in Günther Zainer's Augsburg edition. The text is divided into books, the first touches on the origins of chess and the reasons for its invention; the next two books explain how the pieces represent different ranks of society. The different social classes are then made the subject of anecdotes and illustrations. The fourth book concerns the game itself.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: The Book of Chess
Author: Jacobus de Cessolis (Italian, active 1288–1322)
Publisher: Heinrich Knoblochtzer (German, Ettenheim before 1477–after 1495 Heidelberg)
Published in: Strasbourg
Date: 1483
Medium: Woodcuts with letterpress, touches of watercolor
Dimensions: 11 1/8 × 8 1/16 × 7/16 in. (28.3 × 20.5 × 1.1 cm)
Classification: Books
Credit Line: Pfeiffer Fund, 2018
Object Number: 2018.80
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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