|The Lewis Chessman |

The Lewis chessmen gave an insight into Europe's past. Reflecting 12th-century European feudalism, the pieces featured common aspects of many European nations: soldiers and calvary (those who fought), bishops (those who prayed), and the king and queen (royalty), highlighting the significance of their depictions. The chessmen are thought to have been the inspiration for the modernization of chess, which themselves are thought to be inspired from Arabic figures. There are thought to be around 93 pieces owned, with the British Museum able to claim and hold 67 chess pieces, 14 ivory counters, and an ornate ivory belt. The National Museum of Scotland holds the other 11. However, it's thought that there are more in existence.

Although the Lewis chessmen pieces provide many insights into the medieval world and the history of chess as a whole, there is still much that is unknown about the pieces. Researchers have come up with many theories that fill in these gaps of missing information, as well as theories that outline general conclusions about the time period.

The look and feel of the chess pieces also arise some hypotheses. The style of carving, for example, varies throughout each of the pieces, which suggests that the pieces were made by multiple different carvers. Another point of interest is the color of the pieces, which seem to have faded from whatever they were when first discovered. But scientists have found traces of mercury in the pieces, and this could suggest that the pieces were once colored red using cinnabar. 

One of the greatest mysteries surround the chessmen is who actually buried the chess pieces and why. One theory by researchers suggests the pieces were the property of a merchant, who planned to sell them. But considering that Lewis was home to many powerful high-class individuals, it's also guessed that the pieces were the prized possession of local royalty, such as a prince or bishop.

Thanks to research done on the craftsmanship of the Lewis Chessmen, those looking to replicate them know the basis of their construction —that being ivory. When looking at replica sets of Lewis Chessmen, the more sophisticated of the bunch stick as close to the originals as possible, be that through laser scans or 3d models; stone resin has also been used as a substitute for authentic ivory —which can often go for thousands of dollars, depending on the animal it's taken from.

In order to match the look of the pieces, our museum used 3D scans from the British Museum. The Scans used are also open to the public, for those interesting in making their own. These pieces then went through a refinement process were they were first sanded down, to remove any imperfections from the printing process, but not too much so that the jaggedness of the pieces was preserved. Once the pieces look authentic in from, color is next. We stood the pieces in a large box and, with Ivory spray paint, covered them simultaneously in paint. This process is done in rounds to ensure no part of the pieces is left unpainted, and to not overcoat the pieces. It's also important to consider that laying a thick coat of paint initially could affect the uniformity of the coat, so doing it lightly and in rounds gives a more even look. With the pieces looking brand new, it was time to age them by a few hundred years.

Lewis Chessmen

The nature and mystery of the pieces have made them somewhat popular in more modern times, especially within the United Kingdom. Take the Harry Potter franchise, for example. Replicas have been made by them, as well as other producers who took interest in the chessmen. In addition to the popularity and fun of the pieces, it allows those who have replicas to build a "personal connection"; for example, having actual figures instead of simplified pieces may have caused one to feel an increased sense of achievement when winning, and a feeling of letdown when losing their pieces to opponents. The Lewis chessmen have also had influence outside of just history and chess. It inspired the popular British children's animation "Noggin the Nog," which brought to life the pieces in order to tell stories. These replicas and adaptations have, of course, only fueled public interest in the chessmen over the years.