Gamesboard

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Gamesboard

Turkey, circa 1530-1550

Wood

Wood inlaid with ebony, ivory, micromosaic and silver

Closed: 18 x 13 1/2 x 2 1/8 in. (45.72 x 34.29 x 2 1/8 cm); Open: 18 1/4 x 26 3/4 x 1 in. (46.36 x 67.95 x 2.54 cm)

Purchased with funds provided by Camilla Chandler Frost (M.2007.100)

Art of the Middle East: Islamic and Contemporary

Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Luxury wooden objects—furniture and furnishings as well as architectural fittings inlaid with precious materials such as ivory, ebony, silver, gold, mother-of-pearl, and tortoiseshell—were produced in limited quantities for the Ottoman court beginning in the early sixteenth century. This rare and spectacular games board provides a wonderful example of this medium. When open, it offers a backgammon board rendered in ivory and ebony inlays with details of silver and tiny mosaics; when closed, it provides two more gaming opportunities, including an ivory- and ebony-inlaid chessboard.

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Bibliography

Komaroff, Linda. Gift Tradition in Islamic Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2012.
Komaroff, Linda. Gifts of the Sultan: the Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2011.

Komaroff, Linda. Gift Tradition in Islamic Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2012.
Komaroff, Linda. Gifts of the Sultan: the Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2011.
Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.
Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
Komaroff, Linda. Collecting Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: A Curatorial Perspective. Los Angeles: Art Catalogues; LACMA, 2017.

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