Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

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Piece for the game of chaupar

  • Description

    Chaupar or pachisi, the ancestor of the much simplified English ‘Ludo’, was one of the most popular Indian board games during the Mughal period. The emperor Akbar himself was a devotee and compelled his courtiers to play in tournaments which could last for months. The game was most often played by four players, each racing a set of four coloured pieces around a cruciform board according to the throw of dice. This full set of sixteen pieces is painted with courtly scenes, including princes on horseback and riding elephants, camels or chariots. It was evidently made for a royal court in Rajasthan, possibly Udaipur.

  • Details

    Associated place
    AsiaIndiawest India Rajasthan (place of creation)
    Date
    2nd half of the 18th century
    Material and technique
    ivory, carved, with green and gold pigment, and lacquer
    Dimensions
    2.9 cm max. (height)
    2.7 cm max. (diameter)
    Material index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Purchased, 1967.
    Accession no.
    EA1967.202.i

Glossary

lacquer

  • lacquer

    Chinese and Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the lacquer tree, which is indigenous to Eastern China. It is applied to wood as a varnish or for decorative effect. In India and the Middle East, lacquer is made from the deposit of the lac insect.

Location

    • First floor | Room 33 | Mughal India

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

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