Description
Antique Burmese Disc Chess Pieces.
This offering is a Cantonese 32-piece Antique Burmese style Disc Chess Set, natural and red-stained. The chess pieces are flat discs with typical Asian figures carved into the face of each piece. Elephants are Rooks, Horse heads are Knights, Advisors are Bishops and rifle-holding foot soldiers are Pawns. The Kings and Queens are royal Emperors and their Concubines. Each figure is supported by an intricate web of very fine lacing and is hand-carved from a single piece of ivory. The individual Burmese Disc Chess pieces measure 1-3/8″ in diameter by 3/8″ thick. The chessmen are in very good condition, although one red Pawn is slightly larger than the others and is not original to the set. The red stain is still strong and vibrant. The chess pieces are housed in a decorative black and gold lacquered Asian box. This set of Burmese Disc Chessmen dates to around 1820.
These Burmese Disc Chess sets were made in Canton for the European Market and probably sold in Macao which was the only place in China where Europeans were allowed to visit prior to the Opium Wars of the 1840s. Several suitable antique chess boards are available elsewhere on this website. To view our extensive selection of new and antique chessboards, follow this link.
