A medieval chess piece has been sold at auction for £735,000.
Its previous owners had no idea that the object was one of the long-lost Lewis Chessmen. The owners grandfather had bought the chess piece for £5 in 1964.
The new owner of the piece has not been named. The family who owned it had no idea of the significance of the piece. Many of the other pieces of the Lewis chessmen can be found in the British Museum.
Sotheby’s Alexander Kader said his “jaw dropped” when he realised that it was a Lewis Chessman. Mr. Kader said: “This is one of the most exciting and personal rediscoveries to have been made during my career. “It has been such a privilege to bring this piece of history to auction and it has been amazing having him on view at Sotheby’s over the last week – he has been a huge hit. “When you hold this characterful warder in your hand or see him in the room, he has real presence.”
The Lewis Chessmen set includes seated kings and queens, bishops, knights, standing warders and pawns.
Since the hoard was uncovered in 1831, one knight and four warders have been missing from the chess sets. The discovery of the hoard remains shrouded in mystery.
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