A Santons chess set from the mid-1970s. The kings are depicted as wealthy farmers wearing dotted waistcoats, ties and wide-brimmed hats, with their left hands in their trouser pockets. The queens wear elegant long dresses decorated with floral patterns and have their hair pinned up. The rooks are in the typical southern French style with a hint of a red tiled roof. The knights are depicted as mounted cattle herders on a horse (similar to Camargue horses). The bishops – typically French – are depicted as dancing ‘fou’ standing on one leg with a cap. The farmers as farm workers with their right hand on their hat and a sack over their left shoulder. The pieces on the white side are painted in rather light colours on slightly pink pedestals, while the pieces on the other side are painted in slightly darker colours and stand on black pedestals.

The pieces are modelled on the so-called ‘Santons de Provence’ and are actually part of a very special French Christmas tradition. These are nativity figures made of clay or terracotta by so-called Santonniers in Provence and are usually colourfully painted. Historically, these figures date back to the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. In the turmoil of the revolution, churches were closed or repurposed, and the large nativity scenes customary at Christmas time were no longer allowed to be set up in churches. The inhabitants of Provence therefore made their own nativity figures, originally from bread dough, later from clay. This custom developed into a separate craft industry. The figures are not limited to Christian or even Christmas figures, as we know them from traditional nativity scenes. Rather, in addition to Mary, Joseph and the Three Kings, they also depict typical inhabitants of Provence, such as bakers, fishermen and fortune tellers, as well as animals typical of the region.

A plaster mould is made from the original design by the santonnier, which is then used to produce the figures. In the case of this set, it can be assumed that only a very small number of copies were produced. The game was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity with the number 18 and a letter from the court officials Bernard & Robert Martin, based in Aix-en-Provence, dated 9 June 1975, in which they confirmed that they had destroyed the plaster moulds used to produce the figures and recorded this in a protocol. The letter also reveals the manufacturer of the chess set, Francois Beauval, based at 60 rue Saint-André-des-Arts, Paris. Francois Beauval is also known as Jean-Pierre Mouchard, a former publisher and businessman. He was born on 29 January 1929 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as a French citizen (he later took Swiss citizenship). He was a publisher of high-quality books in France and owner of various publishing houses, as well as a shareholder in a printing company in Portugal. His publishing houses went bankrupt in 1992 and he entered the industry by acquiring shares in the newly founded company Ecotec, a manufacturer of lubricants and additives for the automotive industry. It is worth noting that he was friends with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the right-wing populist Front National (now Rassemblement National) and father of Marine Le Pen, the current leader of the party, and in 1991 he also became treasurer of two Front National fundraising associations.