German Bust Chess Set, Geislingen, 18th century

Here is a beautiful example of a German bust chess set very typical for the Geislingen bone and ivory carvers. Sets like this are rare, especially if they come with the original wooden box. The base of the pieces can be slid under wooden guides at the bottom of the box and thus fixed in place, which protects the pieces against damage during transport. The pieces are made of bone with polychrome colouring, one side predominantly in white & blue, the other side predominantly in white & red, the latter in particular with red bases. The kings and queens as royals with hoop crown. The bishops as officers wearing a bicorne. The knights as horses in a very peculiar style with mouths almost resembling a beak. The rooks as slender towers with horizontal brickwork lines. The pawns with a serrated gallery.

The fine carving and the unusual and extremely attractive polychrome colouring indicate that this set was made at a time when bone carving was at its peak in Geislingen. According to the records I have seen, this was probably in the second half of the 18th century. More on the history of bone and ivory carving in Geislingen is available here.