A Russian Export walrus ivory figural chess set, Kholmogory, late 18th/19th century
Turks versus Christians in Roman dress, one side stained dark brown, the other side left natural, kings seated on thrones or chairs, queens as viziers, bishops as elephants with tusks, knights as horsemen, rooks as sailing ships or galleons with flags, white galleon with double flags, pawns as foot-soldiers, dark-stained pawns wearing turbans, the king 9.6cm high, the pawn 6.6cm high.
Stock Reference: MM 1520
Provenance: Major British Chess Collection
Literature: Chess East and West, Past and Present- Chess Sets from the Gustavus A. Pfeiffer Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art New York (1968), figure 59 shows a similar Kholmogory set
Important Notice on the export of antique walrus ivory (CITES)
Please note that as the chess set contains antique walrus ivory it will require a CITES export licence to export to destinations outside the European Union.
