something fun

[ne0romantic]

Here's something fun. I've read about and occasionally seen French sets with mitres cut into the top to make them match British/standard piece signatures and I always think it's a shame, but in this case I'm seriously impressed:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300934547630

Check it out!

It's a Regence set that has been turned into a St George. Not only are the Bishops cut, but the Royalty and Knights appear to have been hobbled. What's more amazing than that, the Queens appear to have new English heads attached to their tops causing all the royals to undergo a sex change. I'm not sure if the cuts in the King turned Queens' crowns/coronets are original or added, but holy crap! for what it is this is kind of an amazing job.

[dancing_with_volves]

There is a British Regence turning pattern featuring Bishop slits in Darlow's book.

[ne0romantic]

Yes, and I don't like those sets, but none of that is so bad as what was done to this set ( which is back, btw: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Mid-Late-19th-C-French-Club-Regence-Chess-Set-Orig-Board-Very-Rare-/... ) This is clearly a Regence set someone has messed with carving the mitres after the fact, taking out the middle of the knights, gluing the Britich King top to the top of the Queen effectively changing the sex of the royal pieces, etc... all fairly obviously done by an owner, not the maker, and certainly not (as seller currently says) by anyone in French Regence clubs in the 19th century (which was all long before this set was made.) Still a cute and interesting set. Too bad about all the bad info in the current listing.

[ne0romantic]

hm... rereading I see upon seeing this new listing I said pretty much verbatum what I'd said the first time... appologies for the repetition.