Chess as a Visual Language: Women Playing Love in the Medieval Courts of Spain and France

Author

Zoe KobsFollow

Publication Year

Spring 5-23-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This thesis explores the visual representations of the game of chess in two case studies during the medieval period in the courts of Europe: manuscript illustrations in Spain, and a carved ivory mirror case in France. These case studies reveal how visual objects were used to construct cultural realities. Specifically, they illustrate how depictions of chess combined with the presence of women not only alluded to romantic possibilities, but also dictated the role, conduct, and perception of women in the medieval courts. The imagined woman’s adherence to expected court rules, rules stemming from chess games, and the art of love displayed in these visual objects served as instructive examples for female viewers to align themselves to.

The first case study, a thirteenth-century Castilian treaty of chess and board games, Libro de ajedrez ("Book of Games"), contains vivid illustrations of chess games, one of them titled “Problem 25.” The scene illustrates a game between two men, with women flanking the outer edges of the work. At first glance, the work’s sole purpose is to detail the game in progress. However, the transparent clothing of the women, and intense gaze of the man allude to erotic desire. The next case study, a fourteenth-century French ivory relief Mirror Case with a Couple Playing Chess, serves as a key example of the historically popular personal ivory-sculpted treasures. The scene carved onto the mirror case captures a chess game between a man and a woman. The woman opens her legs, the man grasps a pole, and the game transforms into courtly foreplay to indulge in desire. Ultimately, whether featured as an opponent or a distraction, the presence of women in chess scenes became a tool for art to materialize the courtly love tradition, transmitting women’s expected conduct both within the courts and within love.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a CC BY License.

Digital USD Citation

Kobs, Zoe, "Chess as a Visual Language: Women Playing Love in the Medieval Courts of Spain and France" (2025). Undergraduate Theses in Art History. 1.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/aaah-utah/1