Bidspirit auction | Persian Islamic White Marble Shatranj

Persian Islamic White Marble Shatranj Gaming Piece, Near Eastern - Dating to the medieval Islamic period, Fashioned from a smooth white marble or similar hard stone with natural grey veining, the piece exhibits a simple, elegant tapered form with a rounded top and flat base, reflecting the abstract aesthetic commonly adopted in Islamic gaming equipment. Such minimalist designs were favored in response to religious and artistic traditions that generally discouraged the depiction of living figures, leading craftsmen to produce geometric and non-figural gaming pieces for games such as shatranj (early chess) or other strategic board games. Similar carved stone gaming pieces have been excavated from important medieval Iranian sites, particularly Nishapur, where they provide valuable evidence of leisure activities and daily life in the Islamic world. The stone displays an attractive natural patina and subtle surface wear consistent with age and handling, making it both an appealing collector's piece and an evocative example of medieval Persian craftsmanship. Size: 4 cm H