Need ID 2 Silver Metal Pieces

[anglais]

These are 7"h x 3"dia base, I do not know what they are, someone suggested chess pieces? The top unscrews.

Hoping someone can help. Thank you in advance. Janet

[sonomabarn67]

Because there are some that think these are chess pieces.  The one in the link may look  like a bishop but, but...

Where in internetdom is the king, queen, etc?

These remind me of garniture type items. Just dummies with no real purpose other than to help balance a central object like a clock. Perhaps the clock is missing.

[argon38]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

Because there are some that think these are chess pieces.  The one in the link may look  like a bishop but, but...

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But the one in the link is paired with a knight. How can it not be a chess-piece design, just like the knight? The seller thought they were bookends. No idea if they were right, but I'm positive these were not used for pet cremation or holy oils or heaven knows what.

[maxine*j]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

... I know there must be a massive search underway for a complete chess set with unsliced bishop's mitres and I am waiting on tenterhooks to see it!

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I didn't do a massive search.  I just searched on "Bishop chess piece" and found examples of the kind you seem to be interested in.  I looked only at classic and familiar designs, not at novelty sets.

From Getty Images, a few examples from Getty Images, showing the bishop in sets in metal, wood, and plastic.

https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/bishop-chess-piece

For sets with oversized pieces:
https://piecesinc.com/products/giant-chess-pieces?variant=16464567494

and
https://www.wholesalechess.com/shop/chess-sets/giant-chess/garden-giant-bishop-chess-piece

[argon38]

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@maxine*j wrote:

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For sets with oversized pieces:

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And here's a really oversized one:

[maxine*j]

Yeah?  How do I know that's not the world's biggest bookend?  Or scroll holder?  Or funerary urn?   Or container for holy emollients?  And if it's part of a chess set, where is the bishop?  And is he sliced?

[sonomabarn67]

Garniture:

300 × 300

300 × 300

3200 × 2441

[maxine*j]

These might be the two matching "side pieces" in a three-piece garniture?   Hey, why not?  Fling 'em up there on the mantelpiece with this between:

[sonomabarn67]

Now you are making fun of me.

Where is the rest of this "chess" set? And why do they unscrew? A lot of unecessary tooling to make a piece that unscrews for no reason. When these were made they were hollow cast and turned; to cast a separate tip and to thread the two pieces for no reason is silliness. Doesn't happen.  At this point I would love for these to be positively be ID'd as chess pieces just to get it off the table. But, in my mind, similar has never equaled "It's 100% it!" I've actually made a fair amount of money over the years over such arguments.

[maxine*j]

Of course I'm making fun of you.  And of myself.  And of pretty much this whole thread.   Among other things, my stupid contributions keep this bumped up towards the top of the page where more eyes will see it.   As I've said, I do not hold a brief for any of the possibilities mentioned so far. 

But, c'mon, you gotta like a garniture that is a chess-clock with one of these on either side!

[anglais]

It would be extremely hard to transfer any remains into these. Thank you for your reply.

[eclectic-co]

Sorry if these questions were already asked. How deep is the screw hole? Just about deep enough for the screw? Or is there an empty cavity beneath it?

[little.font.lord.leroy]

Yes I have seen the chess pieces with out the miter slice. And on second thought, I am still thinking there is a reason for the shape of the cap; it's possible it wasn't meant for screwing it on-off, but for holding when moving it as a chess piece.

I tend to agree with sonomabarn, that they are more likely decorative (they could still represent chess bishops) The floral brass trim is unusual. It certainly was meant to be decorative, as mentioned for a garniture. And but classical ornaments were also made for desk, endtable or shelf, like an obelisk (Cleopatra's needle), so I could see this being made for the same purpose in pairs or singly.

I am unsure of the difficulties of the metal turning, I know that aluminum (are these?) works rather differently than other metals posing unique problems. So I wouldn't hazard to guess how necessary separate tooling/threading would or wouldn't be, I'd be just as surprised to find out it was common or it was overworking.

It could even be a flaw. You turn 5,000 with a pointed top only to find out the designer/vendor says it should be flat ("did you even look at the notes on the drawing") instead of wasting it, you cut off the top and mill a screw-in, flat-top piece ("grumble, brumble, designers are idiots").