Exceptional Chess Set And Box From The Directoire Period. Rosewood And Boxwood. Late 18th Centu

his game is characterized by small rooks on pedestals, bishops with notched and beveled upper collars, "knights" larger than the bishops and rooks. The pawns have a developed base and a small collar, peculiarities of the 18th century. This game is similar to the one kept at the Carnavalet Museum (Hôtel des Ligneris and Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau): there is presented the chess set of Louis XVI locked in the Temple from August 13, 1792 to January 21, 1793). The beginnings of chess games can be found in Vedic India from 2000 BC. During the Middle Ages, there was little technical evolution of the game: the games remained slow and long. The symbolic dimension of the game seems to remain stronger than its truly playful dimension. A very beautiful and particularly well-known representation dating from the 13th century (crusades) shows a Muslim and a Christian playing under a tent in the land of al-Andalus. It was from the first Renaissance that the game became more technical: Several pieces saw their movements change. The queen, for example, could now cross the chessboard in all directions. Her strength became considerable. The bishop and the rook also increased theirs. The game changed profoundly, the games became more dynamic, the number of players increased... From the 16th century, competitions were organized and real "players" appeared. Chess literature became prolific. While the rules no longer changed, the game continued to evolve tactically. In the 18th century, players only thought of winning by checkmate; the games were then very aggressive and exciting. It was by defeating the champion of the time in front of Louis XV at Versailles that Philidor (1726-1795) – then aged 10! – entered the history of chess. His Analysis of Chess revolutionized the tactical course of games: the pawns acquired considerable strategic importance on the chessboard. In Paris, it was the Café de la Régence that became the scene of the most beautiful chess games. One met the philosopher Diderot there. The game that we are presenting to you is from the late 18th century - a period when one could meet Robespierre or Desmoulins at the Café de la Régence, themselves chess players... In the 18th century, the knight was often represented by a fully turned piece whose top perhaps symbolized a saddle. In the following century, the absence of this sculpted rider was interpreted as a sign of austerity, the financial difficulties (following the agricultural crisis of the winter of 1795-1796) insurmountable for the Directory. Box and game in perfect condition. Rare.