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The Book of the Quest
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Catalina's Gameboard
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| The Game Board for
Alquerque & Fox and Geese Board-general The board is made out of plywood that has been stained a deep walnut colour. The Lines were painted on with black acrylic paint and then sealed. My father in law cut the boards to size, and I glued them to one another to make it a bit more solid. Boards in period were made from wood, metal and/or clay (ceramics, roof tiles). I chose wood as it is the lightest of the three main methods and is easier to work with. The smaller size board on the alquerque side was due to a miscommunication with the father about cutting, but I think it adds a decorative element. Carrying Case I made a bag to carry the game and to add to the aesthetics of it. The bag to carry the game pieces is similar in design to that in the Alfonso manuscripts, a small drawstring bag with fringe at the base. Playing pieces The playing pieces are pawn shaped similar to those found in the Alfonso manuscripts. They are coloured in 12 black and 18 white (need 12 for Alquerque, but 18 for Fox and geese. Alquerque The design elements on the alquerque board match those that were found in the Alfonso manuscripts, a Moorish design element using alternating coloured bars. The game lines on the original game are either drawn on or carved in, it is hard to tell from the illustration, Since I am better with paint then a chisel I chose to paint the lines on. Fox and Geese The extant games I have seen are similar to what I made, though the corners were empty. One game set of 15th century France is made from wood with inlaid wood for the lines, giving its own attractive feature. Yet again as I am lacking in woodworking skills, I went with what I do know, I painted the lines and consulted period heraldry texts and a bestiary manuscript for the fox and geese designs. The game is laid out in a period method. |
 References Alfonso X manuscripts, "Libro de Juegos" (book of games) 1282 as presented on http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Gorge/3154/ Botermans, Jake ... [et al.].The World of Games: their origins and history, how to play them, and how to make them The Aberdeen Bestiary Project http://www.clues.abdn.ac.uk/besttest/alt/comment/best_toc.html Grunfeld, Frederic V. (Editor): Games of the World. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston 1975 Thermes de Cluny A Brief Description of Some Medieval French Woodworking: The Musée National du Moyen Age - http://www.medievalwoodworking.com/articles/cluny.htm |
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