Live Auction 8524Christie's Interiors - Style & Spirit
AN INDIAN IVORY 'SAHIB' CHESS SET
Lot 505

AN INDIAN IVORY 'SAHIB' CHESS SET

DELHI, LATE 19TH CENTURY

Closed26 March 2013

Price Realised

GBP 2,750

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AN INDIAN IVORY 'SAHIB' CHESS SET
DELHI, LATE 19TH CENTURY
Modelled to represent the Sikhs versus the Muslims, one side with red stained concentric rings on the bases, the bishops as elephants, knights as horses' heads, the rooks as turrets
The king -- 2¾ in. (7 cm.) high; the pawns -- 2 in. (5 cm.) high

Specialist note

Victor Keats, Illustrated Guide to World Chess Sets, Batsford Ltd, 1985 illustrates a similar set on page 29, pl. 17. Keats notes that these bust type pieces are also known as 'Sahib' sets, carved in the area around Dehli, from the second half 19th century.