Description
Piero Benzoni Carolingian Chess Ensemble
Offered here is the magnificent Benzoni Carolingian Chess Ensemble from his Historical & Artistic Collection. This is the authentic Piero Benzoni Carolingian style chess set created in collaboration with sculptor Anna Dausieu in the 1970s–1990s.
This monumental Carolingian chess ensemble is attributed to Piero Benzoni and bears the Anna Dausieu signature on the rooks. Executed in finely cast bronze using the traditional lost-wax method, the pieces are finished in contrasting gilt and silvered plating to distinguish the opposing armies.
The king in this Benzoni Carolingian Chess Ensemble measures a commanding 6 inches in height (the “grand” or “palace-size”), placing this among the larger Benzoni figural productions. The set is accompanied by its original marble and onyx inlaid chess table measuring 23 inches square with large 2-3/4″ squares. The marble chessboard is mounted within a decorative gilt metal frame and supported by a purpose-built table with carved apron and cabriole legs. The ensemble presents as a unified decorative and functional statement piece intended for formal interior settings.
The setting reflects a romanticized Carolingian and Renaissance court: crowned sovereigns in period dress; armored chevaliers; mounted knights in full charge; and architectural tower rooks evocative of fortified Italian city-states. Each figure stands upon an ornate foliate and scrollwork pedestal base of substantial weight and presence. The modeling is crisp and deeply chased, with particular attention to armor articulation, textile folds, and heraldic detailing.
Piero Benzoni (Italian sculptor, active 1960s–2000s) created this limited-edition series of hand-cast bronze chess sets in the 1970s–1990s. Each piece is individually sculpted using the lost-wax process, then electroplated in contrasting silver and 24K gold finishes. The design depicts the historic clash between Charlemagne (King of the Carolingians / Franks) and the Moors of Spain (circa 778 AD), rendered in rich Renaissance/Florentine style. Benzoni deliberately chose a unified, romanticized late-Renaissance / Florentine court aesthetic for the entire set instead of literal 8th-century historical costumes. Benzoni avoided stereotypical turbans or curved scimitars to keep the entire set visually harmonious and opulently decorative — a signature trait of his Historical & Artistic Collection. Every piece in this Benzoni Carolingian Chess Ensemble is still hand-sculpted in lost-wax bronze, then selectively gold- or silver-plated.
- Gold side: Charlemagne’s Frankish / Carolingian court (crowned kings, noble queens in flowing robes, armored knights on rearing horses, bishops as nobles, pawns as foot soldiers.
- Silver side: The Moorish / Saracen forces from the Spanish marches (the opposing army in the legendary 778 Roncevaux Pass campaign).
- Rooks: Tall Gothic/medieval tower-castles with battlements and arched details stamped “Anna Dausieu” who was the sculptor collaborator who worked closely with Benzoni on the finer details.
The matching chess table features a 23″ square top with 2-3/4″ alternating green onyx and white marble squares, set into a heavy cast-bronze frame with silver and gold plating, intricate Greek-key and foliate borders, and sculptural legs/scrollwork. The entire ensemble transforms the set into a freestanding museum-quality display piece.
This Benzoni Carolingian Chess Ensemble is a true heirloom — timeless, dramatic, and instantly recognizable as one of Benzoni’s masterpieces.
