The latest additions to The British Museum collection are inspired by the iconic Lewis Chessmen trove, one of the most popular in the whole of The British Museum’s artefacts.

Unearthed on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides in 1831, the 12th-century Lewis chessmen are carved in walrus ivory, and very likely of Scandinavian origin. The story of their discovery is full of mystery and intrigue. One of the more well-known stories, relates how a local man found them at a sandbank and small pale little faces staring back at him. Shaken and fearing for his safety, he scurried home, thinking they were elves or gnomes. Only his fierce wife made him return to the chamber and retrieve the little ivory figures