German Chess Set, probably 1920-1940

German Chess Set, probably 1920-1940

Here is an unusual set, of which I know very little. I associate the style of the kings and queens with some German sets, mainly because of the collars on the pieces and the shape of the crowns. The design of the knights reminds me of Russian-German "début du siècle" art, in particular the aesthetics of the "Blue Rider". The shape of the other pieces reminds me of German art in the 1920's or 1930's again. This could be the period to which this set dates, but it could also be that it was just made later in reminiscence of the style. Anyhow, it is an extremely unusual and special set worthy of being collected and shown. The pieces are made of wood, most likely boxwood. The dark side is varnished with a red-brown lacquer. An eye catcher are the bishops, which have a metal tip that resembles a cartridge. Some kind of arrow shaped ornament is carved into their wood. The king has a cross carved into the ball finial on top of the crown. It has a size 12.4 cm. The pieces are not weighted.
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