United States
Franklin Mint Emperors of the East Chess Set
Franklin Mint Emperors of the East Chess Set
A magnificent collector’s piece. Franklin Mint’s Emperors of the East set, one of their most luxurious and bold creations, potentially the most magnificent of all.
The king measures 10.6 cm.
The board measures 53 x 53 x 9.5 cm.
The set depicts a clash between the imperial armies of China and Japan. Emperor, samurai, and mandarin wage war on the chessboard.
The set was designed by artist Yao Youxin, who created the pieces using Tesori porcelain, a blend of his own invention combining porcelain and fine resin.
This material made it possible to apply incredibly fine details to the pieces and gave them a sublime, radiant appearance.
Each piece was hand-painted with great care and taste.
The board, which also stores the pieces, is a luxurious and imposing piece. Its chessboard is made of marble protected by a glass plate. Its frame is wooden and enhanced with 24-carat gold.
The set could only be obtained during the year 1995 through the Franklin Mint museum, and only by subscription at $60 per month, which entitled you each month to two pieces from the set.
To obtain all 32 pieces, a total of $960 had to be paid.
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Franklin mint
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Mexican Tarascan Bone Chess Set
Mexican Tarascan Bone Chess Set
An antique Mexican chess set carved from arbutus wood, jaboncillo, and bone.
It was crafted by the Tarascan people of Mexico and originates from their traditional craftsmanship.
This particular set is older and more refined than the Tarascan models usually found; one can notice the influence of the French Regency style on the pieces. It is worth noting that France had a brief influence on Mexico in the 19th century when it attempted to establish Archduke Maximilian there, exerting considerable influence. The Regency chess style was introduced during this period.
The king measures 13.2 cm with a 3.9 cm base.
It is difficult to precisely estimate its age, as these models are rare and their history is difficult to trace. Colleen Schafroth presents an extremely similar model dated 1944 in her book, The Art of Chess. It can be presumed that this set also dates from the first half of the 20th century.
One will notice the great finesse in the bone work, as well as in the tribal motifs engraved on the surface of the wooden pieces. When looking at the set, one might get the impression that the decorations on the pieces are paintings, but they are actually fine engravings, very skillfully inlaid into the wood.