Dutch Ivory Chess Set, late 18th century

Dutch Ivory Chess Set, late 18th century

 Here is another interesting and rare set, which I believe also counts to the "Dutch" chess sets known from the late 18th or early 19th century. Unlike most of the other Dutch sets, which were either made of fruitwood or bone, this one is made from ivory, one side natural, the other side stained in black. The kings have a size of 7.6 cm. The kings and queens are of similar design, albeit the kings being slightly larger, with two circular disks, a crown shaped head and spindle tops in the opposite color. The bishops with tops in the opposite colour. The knights as horse heads in a very peculiar and simplified, almost comical design. The rooks as fortified towers with a large conical top.

It has been speculated whether these sets really are of a Dutch origin or whether they are from some other region. One of the assumptions - perhaps based on the fact that these sets were made of ivory - was that they were manufactured in the German ivory carving center of Erbach. The latter is not impossible, but I personally believe that a Dutch origin is more likely. The overall design is close to sets which were almost certainly made in Holland or the neighbouring Flemish region. In particular the rooks have some design features that are to my knowledge exclusively known from Dutch sets, inter alia the large conical tops, but also the battlements, which are not made as vertically cut crenellations, but are more roundish with spikes protruding from the individual crenellations.

Sets with similar or almost identical pieces are known, inter alia, from the collections of Jon Crumiller and Joost van Reij. Especially if you compare the set shown here with the one from Jon's collection, you notice that the rooks, knights, bishops and pawns are absolutely identical. The only difference is that the kings and queens are portrayed there as busts. Compared to the set in Joost's collection, there is a clear similarity in all the pieces. Only the knights look slightly different in the shape of the horses' heads. However, since the design of the knights is very peculiar and special, I tend to believe that all of these sets were made by the same carver or in the same workshop.
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