KHOLOMOGORY, LATE 18TH CENTURY

Details

A RUSSIAN WALRUS IVORY CHESS SET
KHOLOMOGORY, LATE 18TH CENTURY
Depicting the Turks versus the Romans, the kings modelled seated, the bishops as elephants, knights on horse back, the rooks as ships, the pawns as foot soldiers
The king -- 3¼ in. (8.3 cm.) high; the pawn -- 2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high
Together with a Russian bone veneered fitted box, Kholomogory, late 18th century, with beaded decoration, the silk-lined interior with circular Russian export stamp

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

In 1670 Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov commissioned ten chess sets from Kholmogory ivory carvers, (see I.M.Linder, The Art of Chess Pieces, 1994, page 78-79), and there after the demand among the aristocrats in Russia for the export of chess sets carved in walrus ivory continued to thrive throughout the 18th, 19th and into early 20th centuries. The sets reflect both the Eastern and Western influences upon this school of carving, with the white side illustrated by Greek or Roman commanders opposing Eastern warriors. The bishop and rook represent the Russian names for those particular pieces, the elephant and ship.

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