German Bone Chess Set, Indian Form, 1909

German Bone Chess Set, Indian Form, 1909

Chess set turned and carved from bovine bone. Due to the barrel shaped bodies and bases, these sets were sometimes assumed to be of Mexican origin because of their resemblance with Mexican bone pieces, which also tend to have a barrel shaped torso with ornamental carvings. This set, however, is a type of set that was sold in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century as "Bone chess pieces Indian Form", as can be seen, for example, from an advertisement of the Deutsche Schachzentrale Leipzig in the Deutsche Schachzeitung of the 1930s. The lid of the box is marked with "1909", which is in accordance with the aforementioned period. 

The pieces are stained red and natural. The kings, queens and rooks with barrel shaped bodies and geometric punched decoration. The kings with a tulip crown. The queens with a ball finial. The bishops with fluted finials. King size is 74 mm.
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