Polish chess sets
Poland is lucky still to have flourishing carving and turning crafts, mainly in the the Souyth (Small Poland) and close to the Beskid mountains. Teh folding boxes are always made by applying pyrogravure nets - and sets are profusely decorated with pyrogravure. older sets are nicely handpainted - very old sets are rare.
Pyromania
A bit overdone on the pirogravure fling, this set - king 80 mm, in folding board - nontheless sports two interesting features: a bishop modeled along the german "runner" and kneeling pawns - subservient as in olden days?
Also featured: rooks as fir trees, and king and queens as roughly sketched mountain farmer pair in festive dress.
Huge Bust Set
Contemporary pieces , sold under the name "Big Cesar" - and they are big, with the king standing 210 mm ( 8 1/2 "), and one of the largest folding boards I have ever had to lift! These sets are made in Southern Poland , by a combination of home industry and workshop, and exported all over the world, from Turkey to the USA and back. The chessmen are smoothly finished in lime wood, felted, great to play with, and imposing as a show set. For me this set has a special meaning - I smuggled it over the Czech-Austrian border in the small hours of the night, by sidepassing the customs and police on an old forestry road, almost destroying my old car on the way....so it is contraband..... oh, those were great days!
Painted Farmers
Charming older set, minutely handpainted to provide king queen, bishops with the details of southern (small) polish national dress - kneeling pawns, kings stands 82 mm.
Carved Table Set
Gorgeous older table set - massive chess table - with handcarved large bust figurines. Kings stands 280 mm on a base of 70 mm width. Made in limewood or maple, no later than 1960. Compare with the later Cesar set above.... the spaces in the figure bases would facilitate provisory weighting.
Block chess set
Relief carving on quadrangular wooden blocks, in folklore style. In the Beskidy mountains where formerly doors, windowsills, and court gates were profusely carved, this set is of the type carved by mountain farmers during the winter, as an extra money earner. Not old, easy to staple in a box!
Country orchestra
A much better set by a professional carver in Jelena Gora - still on the basis of prepared square blocks - but carved with a plan - the pawns are all indviudalized as musicians in a folk orchestra! Please note the opposite colour hats on the bishops - pieces are whittled in maple, one side natural , the other side burnished. The most spectacular part of the set - a kind of treasure chest housing it plus the collapsible board - are shown under Boards.
