Chessmen (32) and box-board
Each piece has a number from 1 to 32 wheel-engraved on the base, a feature noted in other German sets. The workmanship is typically German, and the horses are well modeled. A box of black Morocco leather, with brass mounts and gold tooling is en suite; it opens flat to reveal a hinged board with storage for the chessmen beneath. The set has been attributed to the Hohenzollerns, and although there is no proof for the suggestion, a symbol with words underneath, which would have indicated the original owner, has been obliterated from the box.
Artwork Details
- Title: Chessmen (32) and box-board
- Date: 19th century
- Culture: German
- Medium: Amber, leather, brass
- Dimensions: Overall (board, confirmed): 1 3/4 × 15 3/16 × 15 1/16 in. (4.4 × 38.6 × 38.3 cm);
Height (clear king, confirmed(: 4 3/16 in. (10.7 cm);
Height (clear, pawn, confirmed): 2 3/16 in. (5.6 cm);
Height (opaque king, confirmed): 4 5/16 in. (10.9 cm);
Height (opaque pawn, confirmed): 2 3/16 in. (5.5 cm);
Overall (original box): 4 1/2 × 16 1/4 × 10 1/4 in. (11.4 × 41.3 × 26 cm) - Classification: Chess Sets
- Credit Line: Gift of Gustavus A. Pfeiffer, 1948
- Object Number: 48.174.72a–p, aa–pp, q
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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German, probably Berlin
ca. 1830
German or Russian
ca. 1825–30
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1828
Multiple artists/makers
1861
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Werner & Mieth, Berlin
ca. 1810
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