Lot #50. Prototype Morphy Series Chessmen
Prototype Morphy Series Chessmen by The House of Staunton
This is a set of Morphy Series Chessmen by The House of Staunton Chessmen, Boxwood and Ebony. The chess set is the prototype for the 1850 reproduction Morphy chessmen designed in 2000 by Frank Camaratta for Jaques of London. This was the prototype for the Jaques 1850 Series chessmen. The King stands 4-3/8″ tall with a 1-7/8″ diameter base. The chessmen are heavily weighted and cushioned with real English baize base pads. The chessmen are housed in a replacement wooden cigar box. An upgrade to a modern Mahogany House of Staunton premium box is available for $75. The chessmen have never been played.
The House of Staunton was founded in 1993 and incorporated in 1999. When building the House of Staunton, Frank’s vision was to create chessmen that captured the feel and exquisite old-World craftsmanship found in those early Jaques Staunton pattern chess sets. In line with that pursuit, he needed to recreate the masterful workmanship of the Knights which were derived from the noble steeds whose visages are captured in the Parthenon frieze (expropriated in 1806 by Thomas Bruce, 7th Lord of Elgin and since referred to as the Elgin Marbles). The distinctive, finely detailed Knight head was the hallmark of the original Staunton design. that unique feature is evident in every Exquisite set of House of Staunton chessmen designed by M. Camaratta.
This design is based on the original Staunton chessmen design registered by Nathaniel Cooke in March of 1849 and exclusively manufactured by Jaques of London. The chessmen were referred to as the Jaques Paulsen Style chessmen made between 1952 and 1854 in the Camaratta Codex.
The House of Staunton name is now recognized World-Wide as synonymous for quality and exquisite design – the chessmen for those with exquisite taste. The perfect gift for the man or woman who has everything. They are so well respected that they even made the comics!
