A "Bear of Berne" pearwood figural chess set,
Switzerland, circa 1870,
one side stained a dark brown, the other side left natural, kings wearing crowns and holding sceptres, queens as bears wearing crowns and holding guns, bishops as bears holding spears, knights as bears on all four paws, rooks as turrets surmounted with small bears, pawns as bears holding hunting rifles,
the king 10cm high, the pawn 6cm high.
one side stained a dark brown, the other side left natural, kings wearing crowns and holding sceptres, queens as bears wearing crowns and holding guns, bishops as bears holding spears, knights as bears on all four paws, rooks as turrets surmounted with small bears, pawns as bears holding hunting rifles,
the king 10cm high, the pawn 6cm high.
Sold for
£3,000
inc. premium
Footnotes
- Literature: Victor Keats: "Chessmen for Collectors", Batsford, 1985, page 108, figure 131: "Rare wood carvings of bears made in the district of Bern, Switzerland". The centre for such carvings was around Brienz in the Bernese Oberland.
Category: Collectibles / Toys and Dolls
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