Amber in board games

[pass...@wp.pl]

Hi,

So far I have digged a lot about viking era board games and gameboard findings (list c.a. 85 positions). There are many informations on amber gamng pieces i.e.Skamby, Truso, Harby, Roholte and so on.

I wonder, are there any evidences of amber gaimng pieces in ancient times? Where there counters made of amber or do we know of amber used to decorate board games (ancient. medieval)?

And what about renaissance gaming boards? We know about some chess or 9 men morris boars made with the use of baltic amber. Is there more information about such topic?

Piotr Adamczyk

[Dan Sherer]

Hello Piotr,

Here is an ancient Asian example:

Among the Sugoroku (backgammon) pieces in the Shosoin repository are an incomplete set made of of amber. Here is a link to the database. The amber pieces in the image are the second group down on the right. The Shosoin collection was mostly collected around 750 and contains many imported pieces, so these may well be imports from Tang China or Late Silla Korea, and potentially even as far as Persia.

I haven't found any amber in boards, though i think there is some inlaid amber on other objects in that collection.

Hope that helps,

Dan Sherer

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "bgs4ever" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bgs4ever+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bgs4ever/b0811cff8ed64c18832acb9d4aaccb37%40grupawp.pl.

[schae...@bluewin.ch]

Hi,

there is a Roman set of counters and dice in the Archaeological Museum in Ferrara.

 

Moteover, the Deutsches Historisches Museum has organised, in January, a conference about amber and amber game boards, since they have purchased a games box from the 17th century.

Another example of these luxury games boxes in amber is illustrated in the "Crossing Games" catalogue.

 

The proceedings of this conference is in preparation.

Cheers

Ulrich

pass...@wp.pl <pass...@wp.pl> hat am 15.10.2024 12:23 CEST geschrieben:

--

[Wim van Mourik]

Hi Pjotr,

 

We met long time ago!

 

The Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia, ownes the "Spallanzani Collection" (as far as I know in 31/12/2019).

 

Material: amber. The object collected by Lazzaro Spallanzani during his life and his travels. It impressed because it does not have the 64 boxes that are used in Italy,  but 100.

Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729-1799) was a Jesuit, university professor, biologist and physiologist who made important contributions to the experimental study of bodily functions, animal reproduction...

 

I wrote an article :

Het Damspel  2020-3 October

 

The text you can translate from my Worddocument

 

==================================================================================================.

Ca 1665

 

Dambord van Balthazar Kickler, Ingelegd met wit en geel barnsteen, Schijven van wit een geel barnsteen, Expositie: Fauboury-Saint Germain

Prijs : 30.000 Fransche ponden,  Niet verkocht, Later naar Italie, Dameldorado : 1978-3, 66

 

This is what I found in the Dutch draughtsmagazine  Dameldorado.

 

Ca 1665 In Fauboury-Saint Germain a draughts board  ( 64 – or 100 fields?) was exhibited of Balthazar Kickler, inlaid with  white and yellow amber.

De gamepieces also of white and yellow amber.  The price was 30.000 French pounds (???) .  Not sold, later sold in Italy

 

Regards

 

Wim van Mourik

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bgs4ever/360839931.36083.1728993631191%40email.bluewin.ch.

[Richter, Jonas]

Hi Piotr,

there's also an amber board in the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York).

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/199925

Photos of the board in the Deutsches Historisches Museum, mentioned by Ulric, show similarities:

https://www.dhm.de/blog/2024/02/14/schach-dem-koenig-eine-brettspielkassette-aus-bernstein/

Apparently there's a recording of the talks by Ulrich and others:

https://soundcloud.com/dhmberlin/sets/tagung-spielerische-allianzen - compare the conference schedule: https://www.dhm.de/programm/tagungen-und-symposien/spielerische-allianzen-staatskunst-kriegskunst-und-fortuna-in-der-fruehen-neuzeit-1/

A board for chess and merels from the collection of Landgrave Moritz (Maurice "the Learned") from Hesse-Kassel: https://datenbank.museum-kassel.de/29123/

In a description of an amber chess board dated ca. 1700 more boards are mentioned (Dresden, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen). https://www.kunstkammer.com/index.php/hoefische-bernstein-spielkassette The Copenhagen board might have been the one mentioned as a gift from Dorothea von Brandenburg in an essay by Wilhelm Runge, 1868, p. 64: https://books.google.de/books?id=MqFTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA284&dq=dorothea+von+brandenburg+bernstein+k%C3%B6nig+d%C3%A4nemark&hl=de&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwji1ZXgupCJAxWYQvEDHWULETIQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=dorothea%20von%20brandenburg%20bernstein%20k%C3%B6nig%20d%C3%A4nemark&f=false

There was an older board in Munich, now lost: https://hainhofer.hab.de/register/objekte/muenchen_schachbrett_aus_bernstein

Searching on Google Books I also found a note in the lost & found section of an 1839 newspaper from Munich, about a luxurious games box made from amber and ivory that was lost. https://books.google.de/books?id=08pDAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA3-PA520-IA8&dq=brettspiel+bernstein&hl=de&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDnqu4upCJAxU2SPEDHbUPKcU4ChDoAXoECAkQAg#v=onepage&q=brettspiel%20bernstein&f=false

All the best

Jonas

---

Von: bgs4...@googlegroups.com <bgs4...@googlegroups.com> im Auftrag von pass...@wp.pl <pass...@wp.pl>
Gesendet: Dienstag, 15. Oktober 2024 12:23
An: bgs4ever
Betreff: Amber in board games

 

[Ingram Braun M.A.]

There are some in the Hessisches Landesmuseum Kassel (see attached
images, 📹 me).

There are several high value gaming sets from the treasury of the
Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel on display in the permanent exhibition.

Regards, Ingram

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "bgs4ever" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
> an email to bgs4ever+u...@googlegroups.com

> <mailto:bgs4ever+u...@googlegroups.com>.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/

> msgid/bgs4ever/b0811cff8ed64c18832acb9d4aaccb37%40grupawp.pl <https://
> groups.google.com/d/msgid/bgs4ever/
> b0811cff8ed64c18832acb9d4aaccb37%40grupawp.pl?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

--
Ingram Braun M.A.
m...@ingram-braun.net
+49 177 3351256
https://ingram-braun.net
https://friendica.ingram-braun.net/profile/ib
https://bsky.app/profile/ingram-braun.net
https://independent.academia.edu/IngramBraun
https://github.com/CarlOrff
https://schach-goettingen.de/cms/author/ib_admin_creator/

[Games]

Below are photos I took at the Bernstein (amber) Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten, Germany.

Cheers,

Bruce

(Bruce Whitehill, “The Big Game Hunter”)

On Oct 15, 2024, at 3:22 PM, Richter, Jonas <jonas....@adwgoe.de> wrote:

Hi Piotr,

there's also an amber board in the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York).

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/199925

Photos of the board in the Deutsches Historisches Museum, mentioned by Ulric, show similarities:

https://www.dhm.de/blog/2024/02/14/schach-dem-koenig-eine-brettspielkassette-aus-bernstein/

Apparently there's a recording of the talks by Ulrich and others:

https://soundcloud.com/dhmberlin/sets/tagung-spielerische-allianzen - compare the conference schedule:https://www.dhm.de/programm/tagungen-und-symposien/spielerische-allianzen-staatskunst-kriegskunst-und-fortuna-in-der-fruehen-neuzeit-1/

A board for chess and merels from the collection of Landgrave Moritz (Maurice "the Learned") from Hesse-Kassel:https://datenbank.museum-kassel.de/29123/

In a description of an amber chess board dated ca. 1700 more boards are mentioned (Dresden, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen).https://www.kunstkammer.com/index.php/hoefische-bernstein-spielkassette The Copenhagen board might have been the one mentioned as a gift from Dorothea von Brandenburg in an essay by Wilhelm Runge, 1868, p. 64: https://books.google.de/books?id=MqFTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA284&dq=dorothea+von+brandenburg+bernstein+k%C3%B6nig+d%C3%A4nemark&hl=de&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwji1ZXgupCJAxWYQvEDHWULETIQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=dorothea%20von%20brandenburg%20bernstein%20k%C3%B6nig%20d%C3%A4nemark&f=false

There was an older board in Munich, now lost: https://hainhofer.hab.de/register/objekte/muenchen_schachbrett_aus_bernstein

Searching on Google Books I also found a note in the lost & found section of an 1839 newspaper from Munich, about a luxurious games box made from amber and ivory that was lost. https://books.google.de/books?id=08pDAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA3-PA520-IA8&dq=brettspiel+bernstein&hl=de&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDnqu4upCJAxU2SPEDHbUPKcU4ChDoAXoECAkQAg#v=onepage&q=brettspiel%20bernstein&f=false

All the best

Jonas

---

Von: bgs4...@googlegroups.com <bgs4...@googlegroups.com> im Auftrag von pass...@wp.pl <pass...@wp.pl>
Gesendet: Dienstag, 15. Oktober 2024 12:23
An: bgs4ever
Betreff: Amber in board games

 

Hi,

So far I have digged a lot about viking era board games and gameboard findings (list c.a. 85 positions). There are many informations on amber gamng pieces i.e.Skamby, Truso, Harby, Roholte and so on.

I wonder, are there any evidences of amber gaimng pieces in ancient times? Where there counters made of amber or do we know of amber used to decorate board games (ancient. medieval)?

And what about renaissance gaming boards? We know about some chess or 9 men morris boars made with the use of baltic amber. Is there more information about such topic?

Piotr Adamczyk

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "bgs4ever" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bgs4ever+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bgs4ever/b0811cff8ed64c18832acb9d4aaccb37%40grupawp.pl.

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "bgs4ever" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bgs4ever+u...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bgs4ever/1c498f2d5ef24f30a7a2f7736584c18b%40adwgoe.de.

[Marco Tibaldini]

Here is another object in amber:

Museum of fine Arts of Boston, Gaming box with counters, amber, XIX century.

<Bernstein Museum - Ribnitz-Damgarten - amber chess set from ca. 1700.jpeg><Bernstein Museum - Ribnitz-Damgarten - amber chess set.jpeg><Bernstein Museum - Ribnitz-Damgarten - amber die, 12th or 13th century.jpeg><Bernstein Museum - Ribnitz-Damgarten - amber.jpeg><Bernstein Museum - Ribnitz-Damgarten - amber lid of a screw box. The game board is said to come from the possession of King Fiederich II of Prussia. Frederick the Great, 1712-1786..jpeg>

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "bgs4ever" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bgs4ever+u...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bgs4ever/43EB0E57-3A0B-46C1-8744-C4A10648F426%40thebiggamehunter.com.

[James Masters]

Apologies, I have not had time to dig this out until now.  In 2023, the curators of the Deutsche Historiche Museum, Berlin, in 2023 allowed me to visit their archive to survey some different games and after that, Wolfgang Cortjaens very kindly gave my wife and I a private viewing of the amber game box that has already been mentioned.  Wow, it is a special thing.  Even the hi-res pictures on the history blog below (click them) do not do it justice.  The transparency of the amber in revealing the intricate detail of the carvings inside each square are difficult to capture in a photo.  The carvings were quite remarkable.  Afterwards I found out a bit more.  Apologies if it has already been mentioned, but Adrian found this article at the time about an almost identical games box. It has counters but I did not see counters with the Berlin board.  It is kept at by the English National Trust at Chastleton House.

https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/european-sculpture-works-of-art-l12231/lot.80.html 

More info:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/21559

It goes on to mention another game box that is almost identical - perhaps this is the Berlin one, I'm not sure.
It then mentions a third 'game board' in a similar style, although not the same.
Further down, it mentions that the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II owned a 'very precious games board all made up of amber...'

It seems likely that there are 4 similar amber artefacts or maybe 5 if the Berlin one is none of the above.  And that's not taking account of the reports that Jonas and the others found, previously...

Irrelevant but interesting is the Backgammon box I noticed at the Vatican a few years back, picture attached.  It seems to be a similar style but not amber.

[ulrich schädler]

There was a colloquium earlier this year about this amber game box and other objects of the kind at the Deutsches Historisches Museum. The proceedings are in preparation. I contributed a chapter about the history of this type of game boxes (amber or otherwise). Will appear in 2025.

Another amber game box is in a private collection in Lisbon and illustrated in « Crossing Games ».

Cheers

Ulrich

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "bgs4ever" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bgs4ever+u...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bgs4ever/dac384de-7243-4b4e-b26a-1810cbc0fd66n%40googlegroups.com.
<Backgammon Set Vatican 20191231_134114388.jpg>