Austrian Coffeehouse Chess Set in the Biedermeier style, made from boxwood and ebony. Sets like these came up in the early 19th century, still showing some typical 18th century features, but already including elements of the emerging Biedermeier style, thus beautifully showing the transition from the 18th to the 19th century. King size is 10.25 cm (4"). The kings come with double galleries, still reminiscent of the "crows nest" typical of the 18th century Selenus style, but not as pronounced as before. Queens with single galleries. Knights as horses' heads. Noteworthy are on the one hand the rooks, which are designed as bell towers with a ball finial and bells in the opposite colour, and on the other hand the bishops with a finial in the other colour protruding from what seems to be something in between a lyre shaped hat and a tricorn.

Chessmen like these, made in the Biedermeier period (ca. 1815-1848), were the standard playing sets in Austrian coffeehouses for at least half a century, before the more robust "Old Vienna" style came into fashion.