J J Cooke Reproduction Chess Men in Ebony 4.4 inch

• Regal 4.4 inch (11 cm) king.
• Broad 2 inch (5.08 cm) bases.
• Beautifully crafted from ebony.
• Superb detail and high quality finish.
• Perfectly weighted and felted.
• Two additional queens.
• Suitable for boards with larger squares from 21 inches (53 cm).

The Staunton design of chessmen made their way into official existence when Nathaniel Cooke of 198 Strand, London, registered design number 58,607, “an ornamental design for a set of chess-men” under the British Ornamental Designs Act of 1842 on 1st March 1849. Cooke licensed the right to manufacture these chessmen to the firm of John Jacques of London, highly noted wood and ivory turners founded in 1795 (who are still in business to this day).

The original production of Staunton chessmen are referred to the “Cooke” design. Highly detailed and superbly finished, these Reproduction Chessmen, with their imposing 4.4 inch king, are handcrafted in the world-famous and classic Staunton design, and exquisitely detailed from high quality ebony and boxwood by the same chess workshop that produces some of the world's finest chessmen.

The chess pieces start out as solid blocks of wood which are initially turned and then hugely talented carvers painstakingly work their magic to give with them the beautiful detailing and finally they are hand-polished to create that perfect finish on each individual piece.

At 4.4 inches, the king is a towering regal figure with his intricate finial and double banding detail on his collar. He, along with every piece in his supporting army, is perfectly weighted for balance and they all have billiard cloth applied to their bases to protect your board.

You will notice that the kings in this set are branded at the base with the date “1849”, these ebony reproduction pieces also bear the distinguishable markings of the king’s crown on one white knight and one white rook and one black knight, one black rook. As you know, these particular pieces will sit on the Kings flank and is such a practical innovation to identify their position on the King’s side of the board. This is because, in descriptive chess notation, the rooks and knights were often referred to as being the ‘queens knight, or the ‘king’s rook’. As you would expect from a luxury set, this set of chessmen also boasts two additional queens, for promotion.

With the use of high-quality grades of ebony and boxwood, this set makes it not only an enviable acquisition but also a worthy investment and phenomenal heirloom for future generations.

Due to the king’s height and broad base, these stunning chess men are best matched with boards from 21 inches with larger squares. We also have a wide range of chess piece cases, if you can bear to put these lovely ornaments away.