Nude bust of a girl playing chess (Les Echecs) (one of a pair of designs for the lids of playing cards or chessmen) 1885 - 1899

"Nude bust of a girl playing chess" (Les Echecs) is a plaster relief created by the French sculptor Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier between 1885 and 1899. This artwork, currently located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is a design for a lid for a playing card box or chess pieces. It features a nude female bust, portrayed in profile, with a delicately rendered hand reaching to manipulate a piece in a chess game depicted in the foreground of the composition. The work exemplifies a playful, Art Nouveau approach to the human form, emphasizing sensuality and a sense of refinement.