French Regency Chess Pieces
French are known throughout the world for their fragrances and their romance. It is said that Paris is the capital of romance. However, romance and fragrance is not the only reason why the French taste is known among rest of the world, French have their own taste in almost everything, included the chess pieces. If you are looking for wooden chessboard, you might want to get some vintage French chess pieces for your chessboard. The French chess pieces look great on a wooden chessboard or on a marble chessboard. They are carved delicately, out of wood and stone. The details on the French chess pieces, are the main reason why they look so different than the chess pieces of other European countries.
Ivory was the main material in late 18th and early 19th century, which was largely used in France to make chess pieces. The chess pieces made out of ivory were not only expensive, but they exuded the great aesthetic sense as well. Among the ivory sets which earned fame during this era, one of the most famous sets was the “Field of the cloth of gold”. This set included king size chess pieces. The knights were complete horses with riders, the King and Queen were big and the rooks looked like towers of a castle; they were not like the chess pieces UK to buy.
The special thing about the French ivory chess pieces, was the great detail and complete size of each chess piece. Unlike the British tradition, the French tradition focused on the detail of the chess pieces. The pieces were proportionately big and they looked like statues on stone pedestals. Unlike the chess pieces to buy UK the French ivory chess pieces was comparatively bigger. However, it was not a must for the French chess pieces to be complete forms from tip to toe; there was a very trendy Dieppe 18th century set, which was made of Walrus, and Elephant’s ivory; the pieces of this set were not complete, but only included upper parts.
Just like their British counterparts, French also followed the tradition of having one side of the ivory set in natural-white color, while the other side was colored red. You may find a set like this in any shop where chessboards UK to buy are sold. This type of red and white ivory sets were very famous around late 19th century. When it comes to ivory sets, Dieppe, France was famed producer of such sets around late 18th century.
French craftsmen introduced innovations in the industry of chess pieces. They made many chess pieces which were equal to the chess pieces to buy UK crafted by their British counterparts. For example, a 19th century French Régence set was made of the finest wood, with all pieces carved so delicately, but the eyes of the knights were made of glass. Due to the application of black and white glass on the eyes of the knights, they looked like real. Another notable thing about French wooden chess pieces is the typical shape of the rooks.
However, stone, wood and ivory were not the only materials from which French craftsmen made chess pieces; they also used metal and thus left the chess pieces UK to buy far behind their pieces. A vintage chess set from mid-18th century reflects the level of craftsmanship, which French artisans showed when they crafted that amazing set. The set conformed to the French chess standard and the pieces were complete forms; the Kings and the Queens were as though sitting on their thrones and the knights were as if about to charge. Definitely French chess tradition is another rich European tradition. So, what type of French chess pieces would you like to have for your chessboards UK to buy?
