Name: Lot #459. Maple Burl and Amboyna Burl Signature Chessboard and Jaques Chessmen
Availability: OutOfStock

Description

Maple and Amboyna Burl Signature Chessboard and Jaques Chessmen.

A Maple Burl and Amboyna Burl Signature Chessboard with raised 2-1/2″ squares of Maple Burl and Amboyna Burl, having a solid Padauk frame with Amboyna Burl inlays and an Ebony delimiter. The chessboard measures 24-7/8″ Square. This Signature Contemporary Chessboard with its unique raised playing field design was designed and crafted by Bill Lisica in 2002. The chessboard is in like-new condition. Also included is a set of circa 1865 Jaques Club-size Staunton chessmen.

Amboyna is technically not a distinct species, but is the name of the burl wood from any of the Pterocarpus species. Most commonly this is Narra (Pterocarpus), but burl sections of Burma Padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) are also sold under the name Amboyna. The name is derived from Ambon Island in Indonesia, where much of the figured wood is believed to have been initially exported.

Amboyna is among the most expensive and sought-after of all burls, and is frequently sold as veneer or as small turning/craft blanks. Some suppliers specify “Red Amboyna” for material with the typical rich reddish-brown heartwood, or “Golden Amboyna” for pieces with lighter yellowish brown coloration. It’s not unusual for pieces to contain sharply contrasting yellowish sapwood. Aside from Chessboards, Amboyna is commonly used for fine furniture, boat building, turned objects, electric guitar tops, knife/gun grips, and other small specialty wood items. High-grade Ambyona burl ranks as one of the most expensive woods in the world. For more technical information on Amboyna, visit http://www.wood-database.com/amboyna/.

A burl (American English) or bur or burr (UK English) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds. A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused by an injury, virus or fungus. Most burls grow beneath the ground, attached to the roots as a type of malignancy that is generally not discovered until the tree dies or falls over. Such burls sometimes appear as groups of bulbous protrusions connected by a system of rope-like roots. Insect infestation and certain types of mold infestation are the most common causes of this condition. Maple Burl is not a distinct species of Maple, but rather, it’s a figure that’s occasionally found in Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple) trees.