End of Exhibit
Record 10/10 |
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Description
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| This unusual bookcase came from the library of University of Pennsylvania professor George Allen (1808-1876), a chess enthusiast whose collection of chess books, manuscripts and prints was one of the finest in the nineteenth century. Its cornice is appropriately decorated with symbols of the chess game: in the center is a board of painted squares, topped by a king's crown and flanked by two "bishop" finials; at each corner stands a "castle" as on an actual chess board. The bookcase was presented to The Athenaeum in 1894 by a group of stockholders and is now housed in the "Chess Room" on the second floor of The Atheneaum. The graining was restored in 1975. |
Cabinet
-Chess at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia
