French "Napoleon" Ivory Chess Set, ca. 1810-1815
A beautifully crafted figural chess set made of ivory with a historical background. It originates from France, probably from around 1810–1815. The pieces can be attributed to the Paris School. Alongside Dieppe and Saint-Claude, Paris was the most important centre of ivory carving in France. In my opinion, the quality of the work is particularly evident in the fine contours of the knights, where the manes are partially carved in a filigree style. The set is also very rare. Apart from this one, only three other examples are known to exist. This set is also the only one I am aware of with red bases on the coloured side; the other three examples are coloured green.
The white king is Napoleon Bonaparte, later Emperor Napoleon I (1769–1821). Having initially declared himself a Republican during the French Revolution and served as a successful military leader under the Revolution’s final government, the Directory, Napoleon turned against the Directory at the end of the 18th century, as it had increasingly lost the trust of the population. Following the Directory’s removal in November 1799, Napoleon initially became First Consul under the new Consular Constitution. After being offered the imperial title by a referendum and the Senate, he crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I in Paris on 2 December 1804.
At his side as the ‘White Queen’ is presumably Napoleon’s second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria (1791–1847), the eldest daughter of the Austrian Emperor Franz II. Napoleon divorced his first wife, Joséphine Marie Rose de Beauharnais (1763–1814), better known by the pet name Joséphine used by Napoleon, whom he had married on 9 March 1796, in 1809 because the marriage had remained childless. In 1810, Napoleon then married Marie-Louise of Austria. Napoleon’s primary aim in marrying her was to gain recognition from the old dynasties of Europe, foremost among them the Habsburgs, and to strengthen the relations with Austria. Furthermore, the marriage produced the desired heir to the throne, Napoleon II, born in 1811.
The two bishops on the white side are Michel Ney and Joachim Murat. Michel Ney (1769–1815) is notable in that he enjoyed an unprecedented career under Napoleon. He was born on 10 January 1769 in the French exclave of Saarlouis at 13 Biergasse, the second son of a cooper, and grew up in modest circumstances. Shortly before the outbreak of the French Revolution, he had joined the French army as a private. In less than 10 years, he rose from a simple soldier to a divisional general and, on the occasion of Napoleon’s coronation, was promoted by him to Maréchal d’Empire and later even ennobled. Joachim Murat (1767–1815) was a French cavalry officer who also enjoyed a meteoric rise in Napoleon’s service. Born the son of an innkeeper, he was originally intended to be trained as a priest in Toulouse, but had to abandon the vocation due to his dissolute lifestyle. In 1787, he joined the French army, where Napoleon took notice of him. In 1797, Napoleon’s youngest sister, Caroline Bonaparte, fell in love with him. After initial resistance, Napoleon finally consented to their marriage in 1800, making Murat Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Like Ney, he was appointed Maréchal d’Empire on the occasion of Napoleon’s coronation in 1804 and was later elevated to the nobility. In 1805 he became a French prince, Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808, and King of Naples as Joachim Napoleon I from 1808 to 1815.
The other side facing Napoleon is the Imperial couple of Austria – the very people who were both his parents-in-law and his greatest military enemies. Ever since the First Coalition War, France, under Napoleon’s military leadership, had been embroiled in a state of perpetual conflict. The king on the opposing side is Franz Joseph Karl of Habsburg-Lorraine (1768–1835), who, as Franz II, was the last Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1792 to 1806. In 1804, he founded the Austrian Empire, which he ruled as Franz I until his death. The queen on the opposing side is Maria Theresia of Bourbon-Sicily (1772–1807), who had married the future Emperor Franz II on 19 September 1790. The marriage between Franz and Maria Theresia produced Marie-Louise of Austria in 1791, who – as mentioned above – was married to Napoleon in 1810.
The two bishops on the opposing side are Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte, and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Both were among Napoleon’s most bitter military adversaries. Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) was a British Vice-Admiral who is regarded as the most significant officer in the history of the Royal Navy and as a British national hero. In 1797, he was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue, the ninth-highest rank in the Royal Navy. In the naval battle of Aboukir on 1 August 1798, Nelson secured a decisive victory over France, which ultimately led to the failure of Napoleon’s (then still a general) Egyptian expedition. His military successes were largely linked to combating the French Continental Blockade against Great Britain. His most significant victory against Napoleon was the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, in which Nelson broke through the lines of the enemy’s superior French and Spanish navies and defeated them decisively. With this victory, in which Nelson was mortally wounded, he permanently thwarted Napoleon’s intended invasion of the British Isles and the establishment or maintenance of a competitive French navy, which in turn secured Britain’s supremacy on the world’s oceans once and for all.
Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852) – sometimes referred to simply as Wellington – was a field marshal and, alongside Nelson, arguably the most outstanding British military leader of the Napoleonic era, as well as British Foreign Secretary and twice Prime Minister. During the Five Coalition Wars, Napoleon had occupied large parts of Europe and imposed a Continental Blockade against Britain. This isolation of Britain had a severe economic impact on other European rulers, which is why Tsar Alexander I was no longer willing to participate in the blockade by the end of 1810. Napoleon consequently prepared for war against Russia and marched on Moscow in 1812. Napoleon did emerge victorious from the Battle of Borodino and, despite massive losses, was able to capture Moscow. However, the Russians set the city ablaze and refused to negotiate, so that Napoleon withdrew in October – far too late. The onset of winter and shortages of supplies took their toll on the Napoleonic army, which was finally routed at the Battle of the Berezina. This defeat led to the formation of a Sixth Coalition with the aim of finally crushing French supremacy in Europe. In the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, Napoleon’s army was finally defeated. On 31 March 1814, Paris was taken by the Allied troops; two days later, Napoleon was deposed by the Senate and exiled to Elba. In 1815, he attempted a comeback, which was made possible for him, among others, by Michel Ney (see above). Ney was supposed to have stopped him, but defected to Napoleon with the 5th Infantry Regiment, enabling Napoleon to return to the helm of the French state. At the Congress of Vienna, Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia therefore formed a Seventh Coalition and intervened militarily. Wellington, who had already brought an end to Napoleon’s rule in Spain, was given supreme command and assembled the allied army south of Brussels, where a planned union with the Prussian army under Blücher was to take place. On 18 June 1815, Wellington’s army was attacked by Napoleon’s troops, but managed to hold out until the Prussian troops arrived and secured victory. For Napoleon, this marked the end of his military leadership and, consequently, the end of his so-called Hundred Days. He had lost all support in France and was exiled to St Helena shortly afterwards, where he died in 1821.
For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that the pawns on Napoleon’s side depict the old Imperial Guard (Garde impériale) with their characteristic bearskin hats, whilst the pawns on the Habsburg side are depicted wearing shakos, which were introduced in the Austrian Empire in 1806.
