George E. Muehleck, Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets
About George E. Muehleck, Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets
A 1957 exhibition curated by the museum’s director, Clifford Dolph, led to the creation of the permanent display of chess sets. The museum now has more than 400 sets of these sculptures in miniature representing the many countries, cultures, and periods in which chess has been played. A 2016 re-installation of the museum’s sets presents a historical global overview of chess, anecdotes, and stories about the game, and more than eighty of the museum’s unique chess sets and chess-related works of art. Wall-mounted cases hold complete sets and boards and the height of the displays enable easy viewing by people of all sizes, especially young people.
Image: Sandalwood and Ivory Chess Set, India 19th century C.E. Photography: Mary Haarsch.
Watch the Video
Top: 1. P. Riera (Spanish), Bullfight Chess Set, c. 1950, painted wood; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Dean, 1986.1.11 George E. Muehleck, Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets. Maryhill Museum of Art. 2. Scott Wolfe, Designer (American, active late 20th century), Columbia Aluminum Company, Goldendale, Washington, United States, Aluminum Chess Set, 1983, 60/30 aluminum alloy; Gift of Columbia Aluminum Company, 1995.7.1 George E. Muehleck, Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets. Maryhill Museum of Art. 3. India, Province of Rajasthan, Figural Chess Set, late 18th century, painted ivory; Museum purchase, 1964.11.1 George E. Muehleck, Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets. Maryhill Museum of Art.
Bottom: 1.China (Guangzhou [Canton], Guangdong Province), Carved and stained ivory, Pawn Chess Piece, 19th Century. Gift of Henry Morgan, 1963.1.1 2. Makonde (Tanzania/Mozambique, Chess Piece King, 1960. Museum Purchase, 1962.9.2 George E. Muehleck, Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets. Maryhill Museum of Art.
View this exhibition online
Explore an online version of the museum’s George E. Muehleck, Jr. Gallery of International Chess Sets. Take a closer look at some of Maryhill’s sets, including those designed just for play, whimsical and keepsake versions, one-of-a-kind artist-designed sets inspired by endless subjects and ideas.
Explore the Museum Store
Maryhill Museum of Art Guide Book
When opening the Maryhill Museum Guide Book you will find the history of the museum alongside beautiful photographs of the collections. Housed in a Beaux Arts mansion constructed in 1914 by entrepreneur and dreamer Samuel Hill, Maryhill is one of the most enchanting museums in the Pacific Northwest. Hill’s dream was to establish an agricultural community on the banks of the great Columbia River, a spot where he said, “the sunshine of the east meets the rain of the west.”
The book has the elements of a fairy tale, as is fitting, for the collections contained in the museum are nothing short of magical.
Text by Linda Tesner; Editor Judy McNally; Photography by Robert M. Reynolds; Design by Reynolds Wulf.