Lot #268. Small Lund Antique Chess Set with Draughts

Small Lund Antique Chess Set with Draughts.

A Small Lund Antique Chess Set with Draughts housed in an Asian-themed painted wooden hinge-top box with inserted cardboard partitions for the chessmen and draughts. There is some chipping to the paint. The Chess and Draughts set was probably manufactured by William Lund around 1865 – 1870. These Small Lund antique chess pieces and draughts are natural and red-stained. The King stands 3.0” tall with a 7/8″ diameter base. The  draughtsmen are 1.0″ in diameter with concentric ring turning. There appear to be several replacement draughts. The chessmen are in excellent condition with a sound, strong red color. The draughtsmen are slightly faded with irregular coloring to the White side.

Lund Pattern chessmen are a subset of the English Type I Playing sets. Aside from Lund, these sets were also made by Jaques of London, as illustrated in the adjoining image. The Lund sets featured finely turned chessmen with ribbed baluster bodies with stepped, domed bases, and very distinctive Knight heads. They were offered in several different sizes and configurations. Sizes can range from a small 2-5/8″ King to full-size sets measuring 4-3/4″ and larger. Kings in the better sets will have reticulated crowns surmounted by a large Maltese cross finials with either three or five small spherical adornments. The Queens have spherical reticulated headpieces surmounted with one of three finial types. The finial types are a feather finial, the more decorative fleur-de-lis finial and a simple reticulated sphere. Some sets were also produced with the Queens lacking a finial. 

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