1 October 2009
National Museums Scotland today (Thursday 1 October) announces a major new touring exhibition on the Lewis Chessmen. The exhibition, which will open in May 2010, has been made possible by a partnership with the British Museum and funding from the Scottish Government.
The exhibition will open at the National Museum of Scotland in May 2010 before touring to Aberdeen Art Gallery, Shetland Museum & Archives and Museum nan Eilean in Stornoway.
Dr Gordon Rintoul, Director, National Museums Scotland, said:
“I am pleased to announce this major touring exhibition, which will cast new light on the fascinating story of the chessmen and enhance their place in the public imagination. We are delighted to be creating the exhibition in partnership with the British Museum and are grateful for support from the Scottish Government for this significant tour.”
Culture Minister Michael Russell said:
“The Lewis Chessmen are a significant part of our culture and this major touring exhibition will give people across country an opportunity to see some of the most significant archaeological artefacts ever discovered in Scotland.
“The free exhibition will showcase 30 of the intricately worked chess pieces from walrus ivory and whales’ teeth - it will be a major attraction for tourists both locally and internationally. Visitors will also learn more about the fascinating story of the chessmen as the exhibition details the many stories and myths surrounding these iconic objects.”
Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum,
said:
"This tour provides a wonderful opportunity for these
extraordinary objects, which are of European and worldwide
significance, to be seen by audiences right across Scotland. The
British Museum has a long standing relationship with National
Museums Scotland and is very pleased to continue this partnership,
and we are grateful to the Scottish government for their support
which has enabled the tour to become a reality. The British Museum
is committed to working closely with museums across Scotland on
activities such as the long-term loan of key Egyptian material to
the recently re-opened Kelvingrove and a major exhibition on
Ancient Greece at the Burrell Collection earlier this
year."
The exhibition tour will include 30 chess pieces – 24 from the British Museum and 6 from National Museums Scotland. It will look at the mystery and intrigue surrounding the chessmen, explore the stories surrounding their discovery and show how the characters reflected society at the time they were made.
The Lewis Chessmen were discovered on the western shore of the Isle of Lewis in 1831, as part of a hoard of walrus ivory. The hoard includes assembled pieces from at least four chess-sets, probably made in Norway in the late 12th or early 13th century. As the largest and finest group of early chessmen to survive, they are one of the most significant archaeological discoveries ever made in Scotland and of international importance. Few chessmen survive at all from the Middle Ages, and these are unparalleled in their high-quality, humour and intricacy of design.
The majority of chess pieces were acquired by the British Museum in 1831, who acquired them in order to preserve the hoard as intact as possible in a public collection. They have been on permanent display ever since. Eleven pieces remained in Scotland and have been on display for many years – the last ten in a prime position in the National Museum of Scotland.
The Lewis Chessmen in the British Museum’s collection have toured extensively across the UK and internationally. They were lent to Museum nan Eilean, Stornoway and the National Museum of Scotland in 1995-6. Selected objects travelled the UK as part of the special exhibition Across the Board between 2005-7 and internationally as part of the exhibition Treasures of the British Museum where they were seen by 2.7 million people in over ten venues. The Chessmen take centre stage in the Museum’s new ‘Medieval Gallery’ which opened in March 2009.
The tour dates are:
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
21 May – 19 September 2010
Aberdeen Art Gallery
7 October 2010 – 8 January 2011
Shetland Museum & Archives
29 January 2011 – 27 March 2011
Museum nan Eilean, Stornoway
15 April 2011 – 12 September 2011
The exhibition is the latest example of a wide range of national and international partnerships formed by National Museums Scotland to increase access to collections and expertise. These include a major partnership with the Shetland Amenity Trust, which has led to a loan of the St Ninian’s Isle Treasure and a current exhibition on the Gunnister Man at Shetland Museum and Archives.
For further informationor images of the chessmen, please contact Hannah Dolby, Darren Hutchison or Susan Gray, Press Office, National Museums Scotland, on (0131) 247 4288/email h.dolby@nms.ac.uk.
Ends.
For images or any further information please contact the press office on 0131 247 4391 or email media@nms.ac.uk