Games People Play ëArt of Contestí Exhibit Shows Evolution of Asian Pastimes by Fresia RodrÌguez Cadavid Americans have long spent their pastimes enjoying such games as Parcheesi and chess, although not much is known about the origins of these games. The newest exhibit on view at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, ìAsian Games: The Art of Contest,î aims to remedy that. From playing cards to visual memory tests, the exhibit celebrates the history and social roles of games and their transmission across cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Not only does the exhibit entertain, it inspires visitors to admire how todayís games have evolved over time. Organized by the Asia Society in New York and comprising 166 objects, ìThe Art of Contestî is the first major exhibit of its kind to explore games within Asian cultures. It is also the first to display game sets and pieces, as well as Persian and Indian court paintings, illustrated manuscripts, Chinese and Japanese scroll paintings, and screens depicting game playing across Asia. ìDespite the fact that a lot of games today have [Asian] origins, there had never been an exhibit that explored Asian games as a subject,î said Ann Gunter , head of scholarly publications and research and curator of ancient near Eastern art at the Smithsonian. There are countless highlights among the exhibit, including a 19th-century Indian chess set. Made of elaborate and meticulously carved ivory lacquered in red and green, the set strikingly depicts the painted faces of the kings, bishops, viziers and rooks mounted on elephants, camels and horses. Such sets were too delicate to withstand actual play and were made instead for commemoration and display. In China, Korea and Japan, games similar to chess appeared after the 11th century. In China, xiangqi was played using circular pieces with Chinese characters symbolizing the name of each piece. A Japanese shogi set displays pentagonal pieces with characters atop a wooden lacquer box adorned with gold flowers on the side. Although Westerners may be accustomed to simple cubic black-and-white dice, the dice on display here are anything but simple. Among Asiaís oldest games, dice reflected cultural notions of fate and games of chance. A vibrantly colored 18-sided die stemming from Chinaís Han dynasty exemplifies the royalty of the period. The die displays symbols on its faces made of bronze and inlaid with gold, silver, turquoise, agate and rock crystal. Various stick dice from Indiaís 19th centuryóall in different sizes, colors and designsóalso prompt viewers to appreciate the gameís history, as do an Iranian group of ivory cubic dice dating back between the 9th and 12th centuries. Playing cards today in part evolved from dasavatara ganjifa, or Hindi playing cards. The Sackler features Hindi cards from 1874, which come in eight suits and show 80 lively scenes from the Sanskrit epic ìThe Ramayana,î the tales of the hero Rama. The number of arrows determines the value of each card, and the color of the background determines the suit. Pachisi, the predecessor of todayís Parcheesi, was played on beautifully embroidered cloth boards. One such square board, from Indiaís 18th and 19th centuries, was made of velvet and gold wire. Another board boasts vibrant beaded embroidery. Also in the card section of the exhibit is a shell-matching game, the purpose of which was to choose matching pairs of shells based on memory. From the Japanese Edo period (1615-1868), the game features containers and seashells along with decoration from ìThe Tale of Genji,î which not only makes for a leisurely diversion but also a case for artful appreciation. The exquisite lids of the octagonal containers depict scenes from ìThe Sacred Treeî and ìThe First Warblerî chapters. Shell surfaces are adorned with gold clouds, and geometric tortoise shell patterns executed in raised gesso mirror the clouds on the shell container. Tailored to attract viewers of all ages, the exhibit incorporates a play area where children can enjoy chess, backgammon and other games, in addition to a fully illustrated 325-page color catalogue that examines various game categories. ìAsian Games: The Art of Contest,î runs through May 15 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 633-1000 or visit www.asia.si.edu. Fresia RodrÌguez Cadavid is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.