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Description
Chess has been played for more than a millennium, by the early 1800s chess and backgammon were game activities that spanned the globe. This folded chess board (backgammon inside) was previously understood as a prized import to early America from an unknown seaport along on the trade routes to Guangzhou (Canton), China. Looking closely at the organic materials, such as the dark squares made from water buffalo horn, helped to specify its origin. Conservators used peptide mass fingerprinting (MALDI/PMF) analysis to confirm that the white colored ivory components of the board were sourced from Asian elephant tusk not African elephant, and more specifically from animal populations in Myanmar or southern India. Such detailed information helps scholars reconsider the materials and trade interrelations for artists who created such elegant game boards.