An antique chess piece that was bought for just five pounds (Rs 430) in 1964 has been sold at an auction for 735,000 pounds ($927,000) or approximately Rs 6.3 crore. The Associated Press reports that the Lewis Chessman piece, a Viking relic, is about 900-years-old and 8.8 cm in height. It was purchased by an anonymous bidder at Sotheby’s in London on Tuesday.
Intricately carved out of walrus ivory in the 12th century, the Lewis Chessmen are designed in the form of Norse warriors. They are considered to be the “greatest” artefacts of the Viking era and are of great value.
The chess piece was initially found in a Scottish antique dealer’s drawer as it was passed down to his family, as per a report in ABC News. Several such chess pieces were discovered in 1831 on Scotland’s Isle of Lewis, AP reports. The pieces formed four chess sets but five pieces weren’t found. The Sotheby’s piece that was sold on Tuesday appears to be a rook and is the first missing chessman to be identified.
In a statement published by ABC News, a spokesperson for the Scottish antique dealer’s family said that the chess piece was purchased in 1964 from another Edinburgh dealer.
“It was catalogued in his purchase ledger that he had bought an ‘Antique Walrus Tusk Warrior Chessman’. From this description it can be assumed that he was unaware he had purchased an important historic artefact. It was stored away in his home, and then when my grandfather died my mother inherited the chess piece,” the spokesperson said in the statement.
“For many years it resided in a drawer in her home, where it had been carefully wrapped in a small bag. From time to time, she would remove the chess piece from the drawer in order to appreciate its uniqueness,” the statement added.
Courtesy: India Today
