Chess pieces
Boxwood, average h. 10.5 cm × d 5.2, anonymous (German), c. 1550
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Each chess piece stands on a small pedestal adorned with a fence of fleurons. The black king (Emperor Charles V?), seated on a rearing horse whose forelegs rest on a dragon, holds the bridle in one hand and a sceptre in the other. He wears a feathered beret, a crown, a paltrok over a split-sleeved shirt, boots with spurs, and a sabre on his left side, with a chain around his neck resembling the Golden Fleece. The white queen sits on a mule, its foreleg resting on a dog’s head, gazing at a falcon on her left hand while holding the bridle with her right. She wears a crown, a pleated chemise, and a jewel on a cord. The black queen resembles her but wears a rosette instead of a crown and a different chain. Two white and two black armoured riders (councillors) sit on rearing horses whose forelegs rest on snails, wielding war hammers and wearing sabres. The white and black pandoers ride foals that rest their forelegs on jesters' heads, gripping the horse’s mane with one hand and a battle-axe with the other. A white and a black jester (rooks?) are ridden backwards by monkeys holding ladles, their garments slipping to reveal their hindquarters. Another pair of jesters, each carrying a smaller jester on their back, wear fool’s caps and rolled-up jackets. The set also includes six white and six black lancesquenets, mirrored in design, along with drummers and flute players (pawns), all bearded and dressed in berets with feathers, jackets, and puffed trousers.

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