Wedgwood appointed Flaxman to design a ceramic chess set that could undercut the prices of imoprted ivory sets. Flaxman sent Wedgwood a drawing of his proposed design in 1783, and models were produced at Etruria soon afterwards. Flaxman's designs were inspired by a mixture of Classical and Mediaeval sources, the knights for instance being based on a section of the recently imported Elgin Marbles, whilst the bishops were based on a Gothic sculpture at Wells Cathedral. Ironically, the design appears to have been reproduced in ivory anyway, as in this case.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
Gareth Williams Master Pieces, The Story of Chess Apple Press