In 2011 the Chinese will celebrate their New Year on the third of February. A good moment in time to pay some special attention to an exceptional chess game from the Chessmen Museum’s collection: the antique puzzle ball chess set from China.
In the early nineteenth century China was not a free-trade area. The only port town accessible to foreign traders was Canton. The Chinese disapproved of the foreigners and called them Fan Kwae, which means alien devils. Business with China had awoken the interest of the Europeans in exotic products from faraway places. The most intriguing products were beautifully ivory, mother of pearl and tortoise carved pieces. These pieces became collector’s items and were shipped to the homeland in great numbers.
European ships at Canton harbor ca. 1780 (Museum Volkenkunde)
Rules for foreign traders
Travelling back and forth to China wasn’t something you did frequently in the nineteenth century. After arriving in Canton, after months of travelling, the traders would live in the city for months. Special quarters were constructed for them and there they would wait for salesmen to bring them merchandise (subject to the different seasons of the year) for their journey back home.
The usual goods such as silk, tea and porcelain could not be obtained freely by the European traders. They depended on the thirteen Hong salesmen for this. The Chinese emperor had appointed these intermediaries especially for this purpose. The Europeans were only allowed out by themselves to go and buy luxury goods such as gifts for their families, orders from friends or items for their own collections. They would find the most desirable products in the many shops established at the Canton harbor.
Puzzle ball politics
The demand for luxury products advanced the commerce of ivory chess sets. Chinese craftsmen saw a niche they could fill and started to manufacture chess games according to the likings of the Europeans. They were specifically made for the foreign market and often represented European kings. There are chess games from the nineteenth century for example that represent Napoleon, or the English King George III, together with their spouses facing the Chinese emperor and empress. These figures usually rest on skillfully made concentric balls: loose balls in other balls, sharing a common center. The pieces of the chess sets were too big and unmanageable to play a game of chess with, but in the end they weren’t made for that purpose anyway. Rich Westerners would buy these showpieces and exhibit them in all their splendor in their homes. The puzzle ball chess game served par excellence for showing off, because of their impressive construction and meticulously carved out details.
The puzzle ball chess game also served diplomatic purposes. When, in 1842, China lost the Opium War to Great Britain, the Chinese emperor Tao Kwang offered a puzzle ball chess set as a gift to Admiral Parker, commander of the English naval forces. The king of this beautiful set has a height of 30 cm and stands on no less than seven concentric balls. Even the smallest inside ball is carved out in detail.
The collection’s showpiece
The Chinese puzzle ball set in the museum’s collection was made around 1820, in Canton. The Indian ivory figurines are mostly carved out of one single piece of material. The red and white pieces of this chess game represent two different Chinese dynasties. The emperors and empresses in their classic gowns, the Mandarins, the elephants and knights are carved out in great detail. The imperial couple is some fifteen centimeters high because of the decorated balls they rest on.
The imperial balls each contain two more loose balls. These chess pieces are still admired for their exotic looks, craftsmanship, carved out details and exuberant materials. They were made to be shown off and to be exhibited, and that is why they are now at the right place in the museum’s display cases.
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