Chess set

The chessboard consists of two identical, profiled, rectangular parts that are held together by hinges, thus it can be closed as a box. The surface is pierced with thirty-two black, lattice fields. All of the figures stand on a small, round, joint foot. The figure of the king can be traced back to the illustration of St. Stephen in 19th century Hungarian sculpting it is depicted in a stringed coat, with a gown on his shoulder. The queen appears as Ilona Zrinyi, in a long skirt with bodice, wearing a string of pearls, a veil. Both figures are crowned. The riders are depicted in the posture of Hungarian Kuruc warriors, sitting on a rampant horse, wearing a stringed cavalry uniform, a cap, holding a whip. The bishops - in Hungarian, they are called messengers - wear a tunic-like clothing ,and a fringed cap. The rimmed rooks are built of brick, have an arcaded plinth and a flag on top. The pawns are dressed as pages, holding a spear with both hands, in a stiff standfast. The set is a curiosity in its own genre, and an interesting example of the mixing of various styles within the historicizing trend of the last century. It is also a typical example of the attempt to express Hungarian taste in every piece. Schossel won a first prize with this set at the 1873 Viennese World Exhibition. A similar piece is published in Pusztai 1978 p. 139, picts. 199 and 200.