Gaming Piece

Art Historical Context

This delicate glass gaming piece, dating possibly to the 8th–12th century, hails from the vibrant world of Islamic art. Crafted during a golden age of Islamic civilization under the Abbasid Caliphate and its successors, such objects reveal the everyday leisure pursuits of medieval society. Gaming was a popular pastime, with games resembling backgammon or chess fostering social bonds in courts, homes, and markets across the Islamic world from Spain to Persia. Made of glass—a medium in which Islamic artisans excelled—this piece exemplifies advanced techniques like molding or free-blowing, often...