Description
French Régence Faience Chessmen.
Offered here is a magnificent set of French Faience Chessmen in the French Régence Style. The King stands an impressive 4-1/4” Tall. Once called “Saint George sets,” these chessmen are known now simply as the French Régence style. One side is predominantly blue and white, the other side predominantly orange and white. This set is made of faience, a fine form of glazed pottery, in a French Ceramic factory in Rouen, in the early 20th century. This highly collectible set of chessmen is a reproduction of their very famous 18th Century chess set. Rouen made a number of chess sets primarily for export to England. Their production of the French Régence Faience Chessmen has long ceased, and examples have become extremely rare and collectible.
An identical set of Faience Chessmen can be found in George Dean’s very informative book Chess Masterpieces. The chess pieces play and display best on a chessboard with 2-1/2″ or 2-5/8″ squares. No chessboard is included, but a suitable chessboard can be found here. A short history of the Rouen factory and these chessmen can be found at: http://www.ccifrance.com/42.html
