Description
Antique Thomas Lund Slender Upright Chessmen.
Offered here is a superb and very rare and collectible set of Antique Thomas Lund Slender Upright Chessmen crafted from fine natural and red-stained African ivory. The King stands 3-5/8″ tall with a 1-3/8″ diameter base. The pieces are unweighted and unfelted, which was the norm in the Victorian Period for ivory chess pieces. The design of the Northern Upright chessmen, often referred to as the “Edinburgh” chessmen, was attributed to Lord Hay and produced from 1840 through the end of the 19th century. Adding ballast to improve the stability of the chessmen was an innovation by Jaques of London employed with the introduction for their revolutionary Staunton Chessmen in 1849.
The set dates to the early Victorian Period and was produced by noted ivory turner Thomas Lund. Northern Upright chessmen were also produced by William Lund, Jaques of London, as well as several other top London turners. An image of a page from the 1860 Jaques Pattern book shows the Northern Upright chessmen as part of the Jaques offerings. The Upright chessmen offered here are more slender and graceful in form than other upright sets of the period. Northern Upright chessmen were common in the early and mid-Victorian Period.
These rare Antique Lund Slender Upright Chessmen are in incredibly pristine condition. The Pieces are housed in a replacement hinge-top box,
An image of the legendary World Champion Paul Morphy with a set of Northern Upright chessmen is shown here. These English Playing sets were ultimately supplanted by the Staunton chessmen which were introduced to the public in September of 1849. This set of chess pieces plays and displays best on a chessboard with 2-1/4″ squares. The reproduction antique chessboard shown in the images is included in this offering. A wide assortment of new and antique chessboards can be purchased separately. These historically significant heirlooms will add value to any serious chess collection.
A Bit of History.
The Northern Upright Tournament chessmen, often referred to as the Edinburgh (sometimes Edinboro) pattern, fall into the ubiquitous category often referred to as English Playing sets, which also included the Saint George, Lund and Calvert patterns. The English Playing sets were ultimately supplanted by the Staunton chessmen which were introduced to the public in September of 1849. The Northern Upright chessmen were designed by Lord John Hay around 1840. Similar sets of chessmen were made by Dixon, Thomas and William Lund, and John Calvert as well as George Merrifield and John Jaques, among others. The iconic image on the left shows American Champion Paul Morphy holding a Northern Upright King.
