Exceptional Chinese Lacquered Travel Chess Set Lacquered Board & Court Figures

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Exceptional Chinese Lacquered Campaign Travel Chess Set with Dragon & Phoenix Board and Court Figures
China's 20th Century

An exceptional … Read more Exceptional Chinese Lacquered Campaign Travel Chess Set with Dragon & Phoenix Board and Court Figures
China's 20th Century

An exceptional and complete 35-piece Chinese lacquered travel chess set, dating to the late twentieth century and combining traditional Chinese symbolism with the enduring appeal of Western chess. Designed in the manner of a portable campaign set, the ensemble consists of a fitted red lacquer case, folding chessboard, and a complete set of thirty-two elaborately modeled playing pieces.

The exterior case is finished in a rich cinnabar-red lacquer and mounted with brass carrying handles, corner guards, and lock escutcheons. The lid is decorated with a finely detailed courtly leisure scene depicting elegantly attired ladies, gentlemen, and attendants gathered around a gaming table within a refined domestic setting. Inspired by Qing Dynasty court and scholar life, the composition celebrates the Chinese ideals of learning, strategy, hospitality, and cultivated recreation.

Opening the case reveals a remarkable interior fitted with removable trays lined in traditional Chinese pith paper and printed ink panels. The papers are decorated with scenes of scholars, domestic life, landscapes, and passages derived from classical moral and educational texts, including references to the celebrated Zeng Guang Xian Wen ("Expanded Collection of Worthy Sayings"), a revered anthology of Chinese wisdom literature. These decorative panels reinforce the themes of scholarship, virtue, and intellectual accomplishment associated with the game of chess. The folding chess board, executed in lacquered leather and wood, is richly embellished with a gilt dragon and phoenix. In Chinese symbolism, the dragon represents imperial authority, strength, prosperity, and masculine Yang energy, while the phoenix symbolizes beauty, virtue, harmony, and feminine Yin energy. Together they form one of China's most auspicious pairings, representing balance, marital harmony, and good fortune.

The complete set of thirty-two lacquered resin chess pieces portrays an array of emperors, noblewomen, scholars, officials, warriors, attendants, and court figures inspired by Chinese history and folklore. Beautifully modeled and hand-finished, the figures transform the familiar Western game into a uniquely Chinese cultural interpretation.

An unusually complete and visually impressive example, equally suited for display in a library, study, game room, or collection of Asian decorative arts.

Case: 13" W x 7" D x 3" H
Board Open: 11.75" Square See less