A CAMBODIAN IVORY CHESS SET

This type of chess set is recognised as being Cambodian/Thai by chess historians, and traditionally based on a style used for conventional play. The most recognisable piece, in accordance with Western traditions, is the knight. The others are generally bulbous resembling shells or pebbles that would have been used in common play. Gareth Williams notes that Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) was a carving centre and trading port under French colonial rule until the mid 20th Century. Similar examples in collections have been broadly dated from the 18th century to the 20th Century. See Colleen Schafroth Sculptures in Miniature; Chess Sets from the Maryhill Museum of Art, Washington, 1990, page 33.