PROBABLY GERMAN, 19TH CENTURY

Details

A CARVED BONE 'BARLEYCORN' PATTERN CHESS SET
PROBABLY GERMAN, 19TH CENTURY
The kings and queens with carved faces, the bishops with tulip-flower heads, the knights as horses' heads, the rooks as turrets with crescent finials
The king -- 4½in. (11.5cm.) high; the pawn -- 1¾in. (4.5cm.) high

Special notice

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Lot Essay

A number of stylistic features to this set suggest a German origin. A pattern book produced by A.Kolb in Nuremberg, published between 1840-50, illustrates various alternative designs based on this 'Barleycorn' pattern. These sets were also exported to other markets, some models specfically made for particular markets, such as America. For further discussion see Franz-Josef Lang, German Barleycorn Sets, Chess Collectors International, April 1991, page 8.

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