Description
Biedermeier Reproduction Chessmen.
Offered here is a new set of Biedermeier Reproduction Chessmen in Boxwood and Gaboon Ebony. The King stands an impressive 4-3/8″ tall. These stately Biedermeier Reproduction Chessmen use my proprietary brass weighting system for ballast and stability. Each of the chessmen is cushioned on a green baize base pad with the Kings resting atop gold-embossed Black English leather discs. This set is part of the Frank Camaratta Signature Series and is limited to a total production run of only 12 sets. These luxurious chessmen are best played and displayed on a chessboard with 2-1/4″ or 2-3/8″ squares. This is a new set.
Biedermeier Chessmen BishopsSome History.
The “Biedermeier” period is often associated with a period of relative peace following the French Revolution in 1830. The Bishops of this design are characterized by the remarkable sloped headpiece with its protruding staff. The design of these chessmen are strongly inspired by the more primitive Selenus design of the 18th century. With a little imagination, one can discern, in somewhat abstract form, the heads of messengers or couriers, with a feather in their caps.
The archetype for the name given to these chessmen in Germany and Austria was derived from “Mr. meier” (der biedere Herr Meier).
Biedermeier Antique Chess SetApparently, this is an unostentatious style (of furniture and interior design popular among the middle classes in 19th
century Germany) after Gottlieb Beidermeier, a satirical name given to the uninspired German bourgeois. Consequently, the chess sets produced during the early days of the 19th century in Germany and Austria are called Biedermeier chessmen. Biedermeier chessmen of the simpler type, like the ones shown here, were the standard playing sets in Central European coffeehouses for half a century or longer. They were ultimately supplanted by the new Staunton Pattern and later by the robust Austrian or Old Vienna Coffeehouse style, both of which were more durable and stable. The chessmen continued to be manufactured, but in significantly lesser quantities, until the late Victorian Period.
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!
