Maybe they had sticky chess pieces
XD likely not that's very strange
A strange chessboard in the Château d' Amboise, France
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JasRexus wrote:
Maybe they had sticky chess pieces
XD likely not that's very strange
Like an early vertical chessboard for teaching?!
It is strange! Thought of some emblem, even coat of arms; but no sign of possible origins
Probably it's a metaphore, as the labirynths sculpted over the walls of many churches on Via Francigena
Warnefrit wrote:
Probably it's a metaphore, as the labirynths sculpted over the walls of many churches on Via Francigena
could be.
btw these labyrinths in churches of via francigena sounded interesting. Tried but found really few references online. If it's easy for you to share a link or whatever relevant, it would be appreciated. Thank you
Jul 18, 2021
0
#9
Thanks for the posting.
Could it be simply a decorative motif?
At least the board had white-on-right.
Jul 18, 2021
0
#10
Possibly prisoners without chess pieces managed to play on this board by using something like charred sticks from a fire to make marks on the wall, erasing the mark and drawing one on the new square to make their moves.
batgirl wrote:
Thanks for the posting.
Could it be simply a decorative motif?
At least the board had white-on-right.
not so possible. I think it would be too much to be made by a prisoner, even if he was high-class. Haven't tracked it anywhere else but the source-blog writes: " Certains, pendant leur captivité, on sculpté les murs (ça aide à passer le temps) parmis ces gravures, on trouve ... un échiquer ... pas facile de faire tenir les pièce sur un support vertical "
* meaning: too much to be made by a prisoner just for decoration. don't know
Wouldn't it be normal if two were carved and the prisoners were playing chess via talking and memorizing?
Jul 19, 2021
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#15
batgirl wrote:
Thanks for the posting.
Could it be simply a decorative motif?
At least the board had white-on-right.
😁👍. Fascinating stuff. Probably not a Chessboard', as such, as the squares are 'black and white'. Perhaps a masonic or similar symbol!?. Cool find mate.👍
Jul 19, 2021
0
#16
It's almost certainly a chessboard... It ticks all the boxes.
I wish we had another photo with a wider angle to see what is around and where this chessboard (or checker board, at this period this game was also played on a 8x8 in France) is put. It seems that on the left side there are some drafted lines, an attempt to draw another one? Nice finding.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacro_Monte_di_Varese
7th Chapel, coat of arms of the Milan's Litta family that built it
The following chessboard can be seen in the Tour des Minimes, part of the Château d'Amboise, France [according to the source; STEPHANE0369's blog].
The funny thing is that it's carved on the wall!?!
The castle of Amboise seems probably existing already since 9th-10th c. However the Tour des Minimes probably was built since late 15th c., by Charles VIII, King of France [from french wikipedia].
from wikicommons collection
Since early 17th c. the castle is used as a luxury prison for high-class residents. According to the STEPHANE0369's blog, the chessboard was one of the carvings in these cells.