A FRENCH CARVED IVORY BUST TYPE CHESS SET
Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more CHESS SETS FROM A EUROPEAN COLLECTION (LOTS 472-530) Slight king, oblique bishop, and a queen Blood-lusting; upright tower, crafty pawn - Over the black and the white of their path They foray and deliver armed battle. They do not know it is the artful hand Of the player that rules their fate, They do not know that an adamant rigor Subdues their free will and their span. But the player likewise is a prisoner (The maxim is Omar's) on another board Of dead-black nights and of white days. God moves the player and he, the piece. What god behind God originates the scheme Of dust and time and dream and agony? Jos Luis Borges's, "Chess" (1961)
A FRENCH CARVED IVORY BUST TYPE CHESS SET

DIEPPE, LATE 18TH EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Details
A FRENCH CARVED IVORY BUST TYPE CHESS SET
DIEPPE, LATE 18TH EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Modelled to represent the French versus the Moors
The king -- 3¼ in. (8.3 cm.) high; the pawn -- 2½ in. (6.2 cm.) high
Special notice
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

A similar Dieppe set carved to represent the French versus the Senegalese, with the features on the stained side heightened, is illustrated in Hans und Barbara Holländer, Schach Partie Durch Zeiten und Welten, Hamburg, exhibition catalogue, 2005, figure 122.
These sets were carved to depict the battles between the French and their colonial possessions, a popular theme among the Dieppe carvers during the late 18th century and 19th century.

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