Viking Chessmen

In the summer of 1995, Joan was in the process of switching her business from resin production to ceramics and some few Renaissance Faire wares were made in ceramic as well as resin.

This particular piece was inspired by a Viking warrior chess set found off the coast of the Orkney islands. The original piece, which we believe is a pawn, was carved from ivory and opposite pieces were made of a dark wood. Joan sculpted her version to look as close as possible to the original. She originally intended to sculpt the entire set but could not find enough reference photos to do so.

Vikings bit their shields to show the fierce frenzy they achieved in battle. It may look rather hilarious, but Joan assures me that the original Celtic ivory carving also looked this way. On the back is an intertwined Celtic pattern. The piece is three inches tall and hollow.