Lot #597. Late Victorian Tournament Size British Staunton Chessmen

Tournament Size Late Victorian British Staunton Chessmen.

An excellent example of a set of Tournament Size Late Victorian British Staunton Chessmen, beautifully turned with masterfully carved Knights. The King stands 4-0″ tall with a 1-3/4′” diameter base and is surmounted with the traditional Formeé Cross finial. . These sets were referred to as the Small Club Size chessmen. One army is stained cochineal  red, which is a dye processed from carminic acid obtained from the female cochineal Insect. Red was the customary color for Ivory and bone chessmen through the early 20th century. The Tournament Size British Staunton Chessmen are housed in their original dark green leather hinge-top fitted case with a removable top tray. The upper and lower trays are compartmented to secure the individual chess pieces. The chessmen date to around 1895. For more information on the Staunton Chessmen, visit our History and Articles Pages.

This style of Staunton Chessmen was marketed to compete with the Staunton chessmen produced by Jaques of London. By the late Victorian Period, Jaques had gained market dominance with their Staunton Chessmen. The chessmen are in near mint condition for their age.  These chess pieces play and display best on a chessboard with 2-1/4″ or 2-3/8″ squares. The chessboard shown in the images is not included. However, a suitable antique or modern chessboard can be found here. Our current inventory of antique and contemporary chess timers can be found here.

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