This is a very rare chess set made by K.P.Uhlig in Borstendorf in the Ore Mountain Region in Southeast Germany presumably around 1900. King size is 7.15 cm. Unlike most Uhlig chess sets, which were made in the Staunton pattern, the design of this one follows the French Régence pattern. Uhlig called these pieces "Französische Façon", which translates to "French manner", as can be seen from Uhlig's catalogue dating to roughly 1913. It seems at that time pieces in this style were only offered in a maple wood version. The pieces shown here, however, were carved and turned from bone, one side natural, the other side stained in red. What clearly points to Uhlig as a maker of this set are the knights, the heads of which were made in the typical Uhlig style. This leads me to believe that bone sets of this style were either made earlier and had been discontinued by Uhlig by 1913 or that Uhlig only started producing such sets later. What is a bit unusual are the rooks, which look different from the rook style displayed in the advertisement and on the lid of the box. This could indicate that the rooks were substituted with pieces from another set. However, the entire appearance of the bone material is absolutely consistent with the rest of the set, as is the colouring of the red pieces. In fact, I have seen identical sets with identical rooks, so there is a high probability that they are original.