Isle of Lewis ceramic raku chess set

Magnificent Isle of Lewis ceramic chess set made using the ancestral Japanese Raku technique.

A piece from the Zeusi art gallery in Brugherio, Italy.

The chess set comes with a certificate of authenticity certifying its provenance, its manufacture using the Raku technique, and the fact that it was crafted and decorated entirely by hand.

The board measures 42.4 x 42.4 cm.

The king measures 10 cm and the pawns 3.2 cm.

The set was inspired by a 12th-century set of pieces, the Isle of Lewis set, one of the most original and iconic designs in the world of chess.

The original pieces were discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and are kept in London at the British Museum.

RAKU is a technique that originated in Japan in the second half of the 1500s. The technique involves heating the object to a very high temperature and, unlike traditional ceramics, removing it from the kiln while it is still incandescent and immersing it in cold water or leaving it at room temperature.

This process achieves the desired results but leaves a certain amount of lightness and randomness in the final effect, with unexpected nuances in the glazes.

The raku technique does not allow for any type of mold. Each piece is always original.