A Queen from the Lewis Chessmen

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The Lewis Chessmen or Uig Chessmen, named after the bay where they were unearthed, are a collection of one-of-a-kind 12th-century chess pieces alongside other gaming tokens, predominantly crafted from walrus ivory. Unearthed on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland in 1831, these may be among the last remaining complete, intact medieval chess sets still in existence today, although it remains uncertain if a set as originally crafted can be reassembled from the recovered pieces. At the time of their discovery, the hoard comprised an astonishing 93 artifacts: 78 chess pieces, 14 tablemen and one belt buckle. Currently, 82 pieces are proudly owned and regularly showcased by the British Museum in London, while the remaining 11 treasures reside at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.