German Bone Chess Set, "Selenus" Pattern, ca. 1850

German Bone Chess Set, "Selenus" Pattern, ca. 1850

German chess set made from polished bone in the "Selenus" pattern, ca. 1850. One side stained in red, the other side left natural. Kings with double galleries. Queens with single galleries. Bishops with crown finials. Knights as horses' heads. Rooks as slender raised turrets with a ball finial. Pawns with baluster knobs. King size 106 mm.

When I received the set, one knight's head was broken off the pedestal. The spongy structure of the bovine bone had attracted a lot of dirt and dust. I had the set repaired, cleaned and polished by a professional ivory carver, with a magnificent result. Scroll down for "before" pictures.
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