Fragment of a gaming piece with male slaying beast, possibly Hercules and the Erymanthian boar, zigzag pattern with incised circles in border / Samson Carver, Pricked-Ivories Workshop, Cologne, Germany
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1987/1.262
- Title
- Fragment of a gaming piece with male slaying beast, possibly Hercules and the Erymanthian boar, zigzag pattern with incised circles in border
- Artist Nationality
- German
- Medium and Support
- elephant ivory
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1150
- Object Creation Place
- Europe (continent)
- Germany (nation)
- North Rhine-Westphalia (state)
- Köln (national district)
- Cologne (inhabited place)
- Creation Place 1
- Europe (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Germany (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- North Rhine-Westphalia (state)
- Creation Place 4
- Köln (national district)
- Creation Place 5
- Cologne (inhabited place)
- Credit Line
- Anonymous Gift
- Style/Group/Movement
- Romanesque
- Dimensions
- 6.3 cm x 3.1 cm x 1.2 cm (2 1/2 in. x 1 1/4 in. x 1/2 in.)
- Century
- 12th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Decorative Arts
- Primary Object Type
- gaming piece
- Secondary Object Classification
- Decorative Arts
- Secondary Object Type
- carving
- Physical Description
- Fragment of circular gaming piece carved in elephant ivory in high relief. Standing male figure wearing knee-length robe holds sword in right hand and stabs inverted beast in the chest. Forelegs of beast end in hooves; head of beast characterized by large eye and pronounced nostril. Left arm of figure and rear half of the beast missing. Border contains zigzag pattern with bead motif.
- Subject Matter
- This fragmentary gaming piece comes from a set that originally included thirty pieces used for playing a game similar to backgammon. Fifteen pieces depicted episodes from the life of the Old Testament hero Samson, who was renowned for his feats of strength. The opposing fifteen pieces, including the one under discussion, contained scenes from the life of another hero famed for his physical prowess, Hercules. Although the subject of this particular piece has not been identified with certainty, the scene perhaps portrays Hercules's Fourth Labor in which he captured the savage Erymanthian boar. The themes of physical struggle and triumph represented here and in the other gaming pieces would have alluded evocatively to the contest of wits being played out on the gameboard.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- bone
- bone by form
- card, table and board game elements
- combination inorganic/organic animal material
- combination inorganic/organic material
- dentin
- descriptors
- edged weapons
- mammals
- materials
- materials by composition
- object-making processes and techniques
- objects we use
- people and culture
- physical activities
- physical activities by general context
- processes and techniques
- processes and techniques by specific type
- recreational artifacts
- recreational artifacts for competitive activities
- relief
- sculpture techniques
- tooth and tooth components
- tooth components
- weapons
- weapons and ammunition
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1179 x 839
- File Size
- 132 KB
- Record
- 1987/1.262
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1987-sl-1.262/1987_1.262.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1987-SL-1.262:1987_1.262.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Fragment of a gaming piece with male slaying beast, possibly Hercules and the Erymanthian boar, zigzag pattern with incised circles in border; Samson Carver, Pricked-Ivories Workshop, Cologne, Germany." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1987-sl-1.262/1987_1.262.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 17, 2024.