Medieval Chess

(Art by dianne curtis / all rights reserved)

Medieval Chess

I just moved into a tudor-style home and couldn't be more delighted with the interior. The cathedral ceiling in the living room has wooden posts accenting the white plaster walls which makes me feel like I'm back in the middle ages. The western cultures had lost so much education and art training after the fall of Rome; I find the inconsistencies and mistakes in early medieval art absolutely charming. There was so much money spent on the arts at this time so even though the figures seem out of proportion and even twisted, you can tell these early monastery artists tried their very best.

Chess, as a medieval game became popular right around the 13th century. It dates back much, much farther in history than this but the people of the Middle Ages revived its popularity and found it entertaining as well as educational. In fact, royalty used it as a device for teaching war strategies.

I obtained my first chess set when I was about eight years old. My two big sisters were upset because it was the only game I could win against them. I loved it even more for this reason because they were constantly challenging me to play just to see if they could beat me. I didn't get a lot of attention from them so chess brought a lot of joy to my life.

This drawing is an oil pastel on heavy duty, black paper. It is one in a series of drawings I will be doing for a future oil painting. I intend to hang the oil above my couch to add to my whole medieval theme in my living room so the drawings are for sale on ebay.

You can find this drawing here or copy and paste the link in your browser.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251535880613&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT