A very special German Staunton chess set with a king size of 85 mm made of boxwood and ebony. The set originates from the workshop of J. G. Gärtner in Dresden, Germany. Several pieces, in particular the white king and queen and the black king, are stamped with the maker's mark on the base. The pieces are made in the Staunton pattern, but with some distinctive features, inter alia the cone shaped top with a ball finial above the queen’s coronet, the rather round shaped bishop’s head without a mitre cut and the broad bases on all pieces. The knights were carved in a manner typical for chess sets made by Gärtner.

There are various references to J. G. Gärtner in old newspapers and directories. In the "Adreßbuch der Kaufleute, Fabrikanten und Gewerbsleute vom Königreich Sachsen" (Address book of the merchants, manufacturers and tradesmen of the Kingdom of Saxony) from 1870, there is an entry for Dresden for a master turner named Gärtner.  In the Dresdner Nachrichten of Tuesday, 19 September 1876, there is also a joint advertisement by Gustav Gärtner (with the address "Hauptstraße 18") as well as J. G. Gärtner (with the address "gr. Brüdergasse"), advertising ivory billiard balls as well as other billiard accessories. I do not know the relationship between Gustav Gärtner and J. G. Gärtner. They could have been father and son, comparable to Thomas and William Lund, or brothers, as with Jaques.

Sometime between 1876 and 1887, however, J. G. Gärtner must have given up or transferred his business, because in an advertisement from the Dresdner Nachrichten of 19 December 1887, the business is advertised again under the name J. G. Gärtner, but this time with the addition "Inhaber: Oscar Rüger, Drechslermeister” (owner: Oscar Rüger, master turner) and the address Große Brüdergasse 35. The assortment of advertised goods included meerschaum and amber cigar holders  and a wide variety of riding and walking sticks . In addition, there is also an explicit reference to " Feinste Elfenbein-Waaren, Damenbreter, Schach- und Domino-Spiele” (finest ivory goods, checkers boards, chess sets and domino games). It seems that the business moved some time later, as in yet another advertisement published in Dresdner Nachrichten of 5 February 1894, the address is given as Große Brüdergasse 2.