Iron foundry chess sets
Altenburg/ Thuringia July 1 2016 till Oct 31 by Nicholas Lanier
one of the highlights of the show . the Hermann vz. Varus - set in bronze - polished, fire-gilded and meticulously finished
The rise of iron casting
Cast iron for household items and objects of interior decoration has a long history from the middle ages onwards, which in a way is intimately connected with the rise of the cannon and weapon industry. From the middle ages on, grave crosses and furnace plates were produced in sand forms, similar to the process used in making church bells. But the founding of small and highly delicate objects in iron only became possibly after the improvement of foundry technique in England in the late 18th century, through the introduction of cupola furnaces and the addition of phosphorus, leading to a much less viscous flow of liquid iron than before, and making the casting of small and mold-formed objects viable.
Part of the improvement in foundry techniques is intimately connected to the founding of cannons from the 16th century onwards - in Sussex, where King Henry the VIII. set in motion a project for producing iron cannons instead of the habitual bronze cannons. Very soon improvements were made to produce cannons of lesser quality, but incomparably lower cost than the habitual , very expensive bronze cannons .(1) As a result, the British very soon obtained the technological leadership in cannon production, and coupled with a highly innovative shipbuilding industry laid the groundworks for the future domination of the world seas.
Cast iron for household items and objects of interior decoration has a long history from the middle ages onwards, which in a way is intimately connected with the rise of the cannon and weapon industry. From the middle ages on, grave crosses and furnace plates were produced in sand forms, similar to the process used in making church bells. But the founding of small and highly delicate objects in iron only became possibly after the improvement of foundry technique in England in the late 18th century, through the introduction of cupola furnaces and the addition of phosphorus, leading to a much less viscous flow of liquid iron than before, and making the casting of small and mold-formed objects viable.
Part of the improvement in foundry techniques is intimately connected to the founding of cannons from the 16th century onwards - in Sussex, where King Henry the VIII. set in motion a project for producing iron cannons instead of the habitual bronze cannons. Very soon improvements were made to produce cannons of lesser quality, but incomparably lower cost than the habitual , very expensive bronze cannons .(1) As a result, the British very soon obtained the technological leadership in cannon production, and coupled with a highly innovative shipbuilding industry laid the groundworks for the future domination of the world seas.
a foundry tree for chess pieces - result of multiple pourings in a sand form, the pieces hanging on by the pouring channels...unique piece!
Everyday objects in iron - a german specialty
These technical breakthroughs soon were adopted elsewhere, mainly in Germany: in 1799, the Foundry in Gleiwitz (today Gliwice, Poland) already used a cupola furnace, the Royal Foundry in Berlin followed suit in 1805, one year after its establishment. Iron implements for household use enjoyed a a great fashion in Prussia after king Fredrick William III had asked for donations in money and gold in order to finance the rearmament in the last campaign against Napoleon. The population replied with a massive donation campaign, and women in exchange for their jewelry were issued with iron founded earrings, chains, clasps and other decorations. "I Gave Gold for iron" became a - much lampooned - every day quote, and after the war ended , iron goods sales rose steeply, especially in and around the capital, with sales and consumption in all Prussian lands and adjoining areas rising sharply. Berlin developed something like a "cluster" for foundries - subcontractors providing fuel, sand, loam, forms, plus there were lots of model makers and artists providing their designs . And of course everybody was copying from others in those days without sufficient patent or design protection. All german foundries excelled in producing a plethora of objects, from toilet articles over metal furniture, candle holders, snuff boxes, chimney plates and wall decorations etc. (2) which lasted well to the end of the century, before petering out.
These technical breakthroughs soon were adopted elsewhere, mainly in Germany: in 1799, the Foundry in Gleiwitz (today Gliwice, Poland) already used a cupola furnace, the Royal Foundry in Berlin followed suit in 1805, one year after its establishment. Iron implements for household use enjoyed a a great fashion in Prussia after king Fredrick William III had asked for donations in money and gold in order to finance the rearmament in the last campaign against Napoleon. The population replied with a massive donation campaign, and women in exchange for their jewelry were issued with iron founded earrings, chains, clasps and other decorations. "I Gave Gold for iron" became a - much lampooned - every day quote, and after the war ended , iron goods sales rose steeply, especially in and around the capital, with sales and consumption in all Prussian lands and adjoining areas rising sharply. Berlin developed something like a "cluster" for foundries - subcontractors providing fuel, sand, loam, forms, plus there were lots of model makers and artists providing their designs . And of course everybody was copying from others in those days without sufficient patent or design protection. All german foundries excelled in producing a plethora of objects, from toilet articles over metal furniture, candle holders, snuff boxes, chimney plates and wall decorations etc. (2) which lasted well to the end of the century, before petering out.
Iron foundry chess sets
The first iron chess set founded in iron was presented in 1812 in a show at the Berlin Academy, and was produced by the Royal Foundry Berlin. Most likely - in the fervour of rampant patriotism of those days - it was the set "Frederick the Great against Napoleon" - an anachronism only explainable by the ratio "If we still had Old Fritz around, we could have beaten Napoleon!" But it might have been the "Selenus" metal set which also was copied by several foundries. Generally, these these sets represented major battles of the past, or animal themes - in accord with the prevailing taste of the times. Most major foundries produced chess sets - Berlin, the Ducal foundry of Mägdesprung in Saxonia-Anhalt, the Lauchhammer factory (still in operation), and the Ducal Foundry Stolberg in Ilsenburg. (3)
But the most fertile producer of iron chess sets was E.G. Zimmermann in Hanau near Frankfurt - to such a degree that formerly all collectors and auctioneers referred to iron chess sets as "Zimmermann-sets". Zimmermann made 5 distinct chess sets -
- an animal set,
- Henry the Lion vz. Frederick I Barbarossa,
- the 30 years war,
- the Crusades,
- and the best known and most popular, Hermann vz. Varus (battle of the Teutoburg forest).
This set was most likely cast in silver, and presented to Paul Morphy on leaving Europe...(4)
Most of these sets were copied by competitors - this was a going practice in those days, of which Zimmermann himself was anything but innocent. Richard Seebass in Offenbach - a former partner of Zimmermann's - unashamedly copied the Hermann-Set, and was indicted in court by Zimmermann for counterfeiting - in the first instance Seebass was condemned and fined - but as the fine was overturned in the second instance - the game was drawn after all!
The first iron chess set founded in iron was presented in 1812 in a show at the Berlin Academy, and was produced by the Royal Foundry Berlin. Most likely - in the fervour of rampant patriotism of those days - it was the set "Frederick the Great against Napoleon" - an anachronism only explainable by the ratio "If we still had Old Fritz around, we could have beaten Napoleon!" But it might have been the "Selenus" metal set which also was copied by several foundries. Generally, these these sets represented major battles of the past, or animal themes - in accord with the prevailing taste of the times. Most major foundries produced chess sets - Berlin, the Ducal foundry of Mägdesprung in Saxonia-Anhalt, the Lauchhammer factory (still in operation), and the Ducal Foundry Stolberg in Ilsenburg. (3)
But the most fertile producer of iron chess sets was E.G. Zimmermann in Hanau near Frankfurt - to such a degree that formerly all collectors and auctioneers referred to iron chess sets as "Zimmermann-sets". Zimmermann made 5 distinct chess sets -
- an animal set,
- Henry the Lion vz. Frederick I Barbarossa,
- the 30 years war,
- the Crusades,
- and the best known and most popular, Hermann vz. Varus (battle of the Teutoburg forest).
This set was most likely cast in silver, and presented to Paul Morphy on leaving Europe...(4)
Most of these sets were copied by competitors - this was a going practice in those days, of which Zimmermann himself was anything but innocent. Richard Seebass in Offenbach - a former partner of Zimmermann's - unashamedly copied the Hermann-Set, and was indicted in court by Zimmermann for counterfeiting - in the first instance Seebass was condemned and fined - but as the fine was overturned in the second instance - the game was drawn after all!
Technical details
Chess sets or other small objects can in theory be founded via three techniques:
- in sand forms (similar to founding church bells) - the form is lost each time,
- by the lost wax process - the form is also lost each time,
- by coquille- or mold founding - the form is preserved and can be reused each time.
Small objects like chess pieces were made mostly with reusable forms - much more economic for a serial production. After release from the mold, the pieces have to be cleaned, mold ridges and the inflow tubes removed, polished and the surface treated, either bronzed, or lacquered - here every foundry had their own, jealously preserved secrets....
Table tops were notoriously difficult to found - Zimmermann produced at least three different models of chess tables, which proves both his technical mastery, plus that he found it commercially viable to accompany his output of chess sets by providing chess tables.
Chess sets or other small objects can in theory be founded via three techniques:
- in sand forms (similar to founding church bells) - the form is lost each time,
- by the lost wax process - the form is also lost each time,
- by coquille- or mold founding - the form is preserved and can be reused each time.
Small objects like chess pieces were made mostly with reusable forms - much more economic for a serial production. After release from the mold, the pieces have to be cleaned, mold ridges and the inflow tubes removed, polished and the surface treated, either bronzed, or lacquered - here every foundry had their own, jealously preserved secrets....
Table tops were notoriously difficult to found - Zimmermann produced at least three different models of chess tables, which proves both his technical mastery, plus that he found it commercially viable to accompany his output of chess sets by providing chess tables.
Trends travel
Although german foundries seem to have led the field in casting small iron objects, other foundries in Europe followed suit, including in copying and editing chess sets from german foundries. It even seems as if german founders gave a hand to setting up and improving craftmanship in Russia, probably through the family relations between German ruling families and the Czarist court in St. Petersburg - with the Imperial Foundry in St. Petersburg and the Foundry in Kaslin in the Urals profiting. And the foundry in Austro-Hungarian Munkacs (today Mukacsevo/Ucrania) in the East also produced a highly finished chess set which won a medal at the Vienna 1873 World Industrial Exhibition.
Although german foundries seem to have led the field in casting small iron objects, other foundries in Europe followed suit, including in copying and editing chess sets from german foundries. It even seems as if german founders gave a hand to setting up and improving craftmanship in Russia, probably through the family relations between German ruling families and the Czarist court in St. Petersburg - with the Imperial Foundry in St. Petersburg and the Foundry in Kaslin in the Urals profiting. And the foundry in Austro-Hungarian Munkacs (today Mukacsevo/Ucrania) in the East also produced a highly finished chess set which won a medal at the Vienna 1873 World Industrial Exhibition.
The end of these affairs ...
Iron chess set were kept in production for a long time, although the fashions changed and iron objects were slowly relegated to the dustbin of trends. Still, some original designs were realized in later days, for diverse reasons. In 1937, a Berlin foundry (which?) produced a set designed by G.A. Pfeifer in the typical frozen modernist forms of the times - the set was well reviewed in a major National Socialist daily in 1937. This set is today extremely rare. And many years later foundry and iron conglomerate Buderus - principally known for its stove & oven production - produced two chess sets, one of which was highly successful - and which were used as presents for major clients or meriting longtime employees. Even in the 1990ies a Berlin foundry reproduced a limited edition of the "30 years war" set . Since then - no iron chess sets have come to light in foundry technique - but most of the going sets have been reproduced at one time or another in pewter.
Iron chess set were kept in production for a long time, although the fashions changed and iron objects were slowly relegated to the dustbin of trends. Still, some original designs were realized in later days, for diverse reasons. In 1937, a Berlin foundry (which?) produced a set designed by G.A. Pfeifer in the typical frozen modernist forms of the times - the set was well reviewed in a major National Socialist daily in 1937. This set is today extremely rare. And many years later foundry and iron conglomerate Buderus - principally known for its stove & oven production - produced two chess sets, one of which was highly successful - and which were used as presents for major clients or meriting longtime employees. Even in the 1990ies a Berlin foundry reproduced a limited edition of the "30 years war" set . Since then - no iron chess sets have come to light in foundry technique - but most of the going sets have been reproduced at one time or another in pewter.
Show down
This exhibition of Thomas Thomsen's iron foundry chess sets ran for several months - May till 31.10.2016 - in the Playing Card Museum in Altenburg Castle, Thuringia. This is the largest assembly of these sets in the world - and it is doubtful when this superb collection will be again visible in public. Every collector should run and get a catalogue - the bilingual brochure in german and english specifies all sets , the background and the origins in great detail and with excellent photos.
The catalogue can be obtained for € 8.50 plus postage (ca. USD 10.- plus postage) by clicking
Here.
This exhibition of Thomas Thomsen's iron foundry chess sets ran for several months - May till 31.10.2016 - in the Playing Card Museum in Altenburg Castle, Thuringia. This is the largest assembly of these sets in the world - and it is doubtful when this superb collection will be again visible in public. Every collector should run and get a catalogue - the bilingual brochure in german and english specifies all sets , the background and the origins in great detail and with excellent photos.
The catalogue can be obtained for € 8.50 plus postage (ca. USD 10.- plus postage) by clicking
Here.
Notes
1) highly illuminating on this point is Carlo Cipolla, Guns, Sails and empires, Panthon Books, 1966, p. 12 ff
2) see the extracts from the Zimmermann sales catalogue in Schaffer-Hartmann/Reuel, Hanauer Eisen, catalogue for an exhibit in 1999 Hanau
3)following after Schaffer-Hartmann/Reuel as well as the catalogue
4) many people have wasted a lot of time and fruitless effort since then to discover whathappened to this chess set....
(c) Nicholas Lanier 2015
1) highly illuminating on this point is Carlo Cipolla, Guns, Sails and empires, Panthon Books, 1966, p. 12 ff
2) see the extracts from the Zimmermann sales catalogue in Schaffer-Hartmann/Reuel, Hanauer Eisen, catalogue for an exhibit in 1999 Hanau
3)following after Schaffer-Hartmann/Reuel as well as the catalogue
4) many people have wasted a lot of time and fruitless effort since then to discover whathappened to this chess set....
(c) Nicholas Lanier 2015
