Gamesboardcirca 1530-1550

Not on view

Inlaid wooden backgammon board, open flat, with ivory and reddish-brown triangular points on dark ground, foliate marquetry center band, and geometric border

Folding backgammon board inlaid with ivory and tortoiseshell, featuring alternating dark and cream triangular points, intricate arabesque scrollwork along the central bar, and geometric medallions at the corners and borders.

Inlaid wooden backgammon board, open flat, with dark wood, ivory, and tortoiseshell marquetry. Elongated triangular points in alternating dark brown and cream extend from top and bottom, flanking a central horizontal band of dense arabesque scrollwork and a diamond-shaped medallion. Diamond-shaped inlays accent the border.

Wooden panel with marquetry inlay, featuring a geometric pattern of nested squares and diagonal lines in contrasting dark and golden-brown woods, with visible wear and scratching across the surface.

Wooden game board with inlaid checkerboard of alternating dark and ivory squares at center, framed by walnut veneer and a border of alternating dark wood and bone or ivory rectangular inlays along the edges.

Detail of a dark wooden surface with ivory and brass inlay work: scrolling foliate borders at top and bottom flank a central cartouche enclosing a diamond-shaped medallion with fine multicolored mosaic inlay in green, black, and cream geometric patterns.

Wooden panel with marquetry inlay, featuring a row of pointed arches in ivory and warm brown tones against a dark ebonized ground, with suspended pendant forms beneath each arch and a geometric floral border along the top.

Title: Gamesboard
Place Made: Turkey
Date Made: circa 1530-1550
Period: Ottoman (1281-1924)
Medium: Wood inlaid with ebony, ivory, micromosaic and silver
Dimensions: 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)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2007.100
Classification: Wood
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial 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.
Selected 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.
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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