Dorothy Dehner
Chess Set
1992-1993
Scroll
Dorothy Dehner
Chess Set
1992-1993
Physical Qualities
Pewter, Pawns, 16 each: 1 1/2 x 1 x 1 1/16 in. (3.8 x 2.5 x 2.7 cm)
Castles, 4 each: 2 1/2 x 1 1/16 x 1 1/16 in. (6.4 x 2.7 x 2.7 cm)
Bishops, 4 each: 3 x 1 1/8 x 1 3/16 in. (7.6 x 2.9 x 3 cm)
Knights, 4 each: 2 1/2 x 1 3/16 x 1 1/4 in. (6.4 x 3 x 3.2 cm)
Kings, 2 each: 3 5/8 x 1 3/16 x 1 3/16 in. (9.2 x 3 x 3 cm)
Queens, 2 each: 3 1/4 x 1 3/16 x 1 1/4 in. (8.3 x 3 x 3.2 cm)
Credit Line
Albert H. Cousins Memorial Fund
Object Number
2022.27
In this chess set, Dorothy Dehner combined playful sculptural form with incised lines. During a career which spanned the 1920s to the 1990s, Dehner produced paintings, prints, and sculptures that positioned abstract figural elements in an
architecture-like setting: a chess set seems a natural extension of her artistic practice. Chess, a game that juxtaposes reason, chance, play, and power with allusions to gender and race was a rich subject for many modern artists.
American Modernism Reinstallation
American Wing Rotations 2023
American Wing Rotations 2024
Tempting to Touch: Surface and Substance in 20th-Century American Art
American Wing Rotations 2025
Inscribed: Pawns: "ΔΔ" and "Dehner" on top of the base. On bottom of base, CR 14/25 Castles: "ΔΔ" and "Dehner" on body. On bottom of base, CR 14/25 Bishops: "ΔΔ" on hat. On bottom of base, CR 14/25 Knights: "ΔΔ" and "Dehner" on top of the base. On bottom of base, CR 14/25 Kings: "Dehner" on base. On bottom of base, CROUSSEL 14/25 Kings: "ΔΔ" on body and "Dehner" on base. On bottom of base, CROUSSEL 14/25