Early Mongolian Chess Figural Polychromed Wood Chess Set. Probably 18thC.

he chessmen in this set are; - Noiyans (Kings) - both seated, one a senior figure and the other a younger figure and each having 5 standing attendants - Bers (Queens/Viziers) portrayed as fearsome animals - Chinese Lion Dog and stripped Tiger - Terghe (Rooks) as horse drawn carts with riders, one with right leg folded over and the other with his left leg folded over. - Temee (Bishops) and Mori (Knights) some of which are depicted as family groups of Bactrian camels and Mongolian horses - Pawns on each side are portrayed as the young offspring of the respective Queens. All the figural wooden pieces are monobloc in form and stand on carved and decorated raised plinths and the pieces on each side are distinguished by the colour of the platform on the plinths - one side a green colour and the other a brownish red colour. According to Rodolpho Pozzi in his specialist book on Mongolian Chess sets published in 2002, the red and green colours began to be used in Mongolian chess sets during the 18thC and that the green colour was associated with the old Noyian and the red with the younger Noyian, as is the case in this chess set. The fact the chess set is still housed in it's original (and well worn) red lacquered slide top chess box is a real bonus.

This chess set first came to the attention of the chess collecting fraternity in Mackett-Beeson's 'Chessmen' book published in 1968. In it. he stated the set had been discovered in Mongolia in the 1940s by a certain Mr. Schuyler Van Rensselaer Cammann. The book contained an image of just two pieces from this set, stating it had been made in the middle of the 18thC. and Mackett-Beeson expressing the view that it was ' certainly among the most important of all Eastern chess sets'. Since then the chess set had remained in Mr. Cammann's family and a complete image of all the pieces in the set had not been seen until it appeared in a public auction in the USA, in 2018. For a fuller account of the history of this chess set, please see the article published in the Sept 2018 edition of the CCI Newsletter.

Here is also a link to the article Cammann's Mongolian Chess Set Article

Mackett-Beeson's Book references below

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