Hand Painted Theme Chess Sets
(Click Here for the Undecorated, Plain Sets)
our hand painted theme chess sets are valuable representations of a hitorical event, a special genre, or a special recognised theme. An artisan has painstakingly taken an unfinished piece and, using specialist material, decorated each one detail by detail. Their price under-represents the amount of work and skill involved, they are collectible and valuable and will appreciate over time. Many earlier models of the genre bring high values at auction - these are the chess sets that will appear in future auctions at excellent prices. They are excellent for display and use. They're not all stern and serious, we also market many fun genre's, but the standard is very high. You are looking at hand painted chess sets as gifts that will be passed with pride to the next generation.
Replacement pieces are available for these chess sets
Click picture for multiple close-ups
ST2039 Christopher Columbus Chess Set
Made in England. A simply magnificent set of pieces depicting the experiences and aquaintances of Christopher Columbus. The colours are vivid and the detail superb. Outstanding are the detail of the priests tunic and the collar of the white queen, which stands out amongst the whole set as beautiful. A large set requiring a large board, we recommend below the one with 2.5" squares, itself being a work of art. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture SB2002 ...MORE...
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ST2036 Henry VIII Hand Painted Chess Set
Made in England. The hand decorated version of this excellent chess set. All those wives! Poor old Anne. Poor old Katherine. Poor old them all. Not as if he was some Adonis. But hey, talk about breaking with tradition, this chess set does in a remarkable way - the rook is significantly higher than Henry himself. What would he have to say about that? Yes, we know... started a new game where he was the rook and the rook becomes most powerful piece. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture SB2004 ...MORE...
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TH2078 Fully Hand Painted Queens Diamond Jubilee Chess Set
A special fully hand painted chess set to mark the Diamond Jubilee of HM the Queen in 2012 and celebrating the most important modern occasion of the British Monarchy. It commemorates the 60 years since Queen Elizabeths accession to the throne in 1952. The set has been designed in partnership with St Georges Chapel in Windsor, the official residence of The Queen. It depicts the ceremony of The Garter Day at Windsor Castle. The detail and colouring of the pieces is exact and precise. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2009 ...MORE...
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TH2051 Hand Painted Canterbury Cathedral Chess Pieces
The Hand Painted version of the cathedral theme Chess set. The city of Canterbury has been a place of Christendom worship for nearly two thousand years. Following a major fire at the original cathedral in 1174, the monks at Canterbury used the revenue from the many pilgrims visiting the shrine and relics of St Thomas to create the first Gothic cathedral in England. A detailed theme chess set. The rebuilding and reconstruction continued during the following century and ensured that at the end of the Middle Ages, Canterbury Cathedral was one of the noblest churches in Christendom. Our skilled designers and sculptors have created from the architecture and statuary in and around Canterbury Cathedral a chess set of gracious proportions and great detail. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2005 ...MORE...
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TH2060 White Tower Hand Painted Chess Set
The hand painted version of the White Tower chess set. The Royal palace and fortress of the Tower of London, founded by William the Conqueror shortly after 1066, is one of the world's most famous and spectacular castles. Known for housing the Crown Jewels, its Yeoman Warders ('Beefeaters') and its ravens, the Tower (appropriately - the Rook) today is the most visited historic site in Britain. The White Tower, oldest of all the Tower buildings, was originally built as a royal palace and fortress, but has also served as a prison, a royal chapel, a record office and a large storehouse of arms, armour and gunpowder. The chess set is Designed and developed under licence from Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises Limited. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2005 ...MORE...
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TH2017 Battle of Hastings Hand Painted Chess Set
A set of chess pieces representing the two opposing armies in the most famous battle fought on English soil. Harold, the English King leads his Saxon forces against the invading William, Duke of Normandy. It altered the course of English history from 1066 onwards. The amazing detail created by our sculptors is richly displayed in this historic chess set. This superb set has been a favourite since its introduction in regular brown and ivory finish. After many requests our artists have demonstrated their skills by hand decorating this set so that it now reveals more of the authentic detail in each piece. Note: Board is a selectable optional extra below. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2005 ...MORE...
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TH2024 Battle of Culloden Hand Painted Chess Set - Deluxe
Deluxe version of the Hand Painted version of the Battle of Culloden. This is hand decorated to the highest standard of finish and beauty. Sculpted with great attention to detail and authenticity, this deluxe highly collectible chess set shows the two sides, English and Scottish, and the most important characters of the era prior to the famous battle at Culloden in 1746. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2006 ...MORE...
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TH2028 Sherlock Holmes Hand Decorated Chess Pieces
Decorated version of the theme Chess Set of the famous fictional private detective, Sherlock Holmes, a character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock is featured in this chess set as the King - it's a remarkable chess set with characters wonderfully set off against each other. His opponents are led by his arch enemy, Professor Moriarty, with the fearsome Hound of the Baskervilles as the Knight. Beautifully hand decorated in subtle shades of green and grey, the famous characters in this superb set are based on the original drawings that appeared in Strand Magazine in 1890 to accompany the Sherlock Holmes stories. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2011 ...MORE...
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TH2030 The Crusades Hand Decorated Chess Set
Our designers have created a magnificent chess set which epitomises the struggles for domination between Christians and Muslims. This conflict has continued intermittently for over a thousand years, but it is the period between 1095 and 1292 which has captured our imagination because of the exploits of the Crusader knights. A skillfully hand decorated theme chess set, these pieces represent the Christian side led by King Richard I of England, known as Richard the Lionheart, in combat with the Muslim armies led by Saladin. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2011 ...MORE...
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TH2037 Hand Painted Battle of Waterloo Chess Pieces
Hand painted Battle of Waterloo chess set. Near the village of Waterloo just south of Brussels, Belgium on the 18th of June 1815, was fought the final and decisive battle of the Napoleonic Wars. The combined armies of the British and Prussian forces under the commander in Chief, the Duke of Wellington, met in battle with the French army commanded by Napoleon. This battle shaped Europe's destiny and marked a turning point in European history. Such an important event deserves to be recognised and our sculptors have produced what is undoubtedly the best researched and most authentic chess set of this era. Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Emperor and military leader commands the forces of France in this decisive battle against the allied forces of Britain and Prussia led by the Duke of Wellington. Will the battle turn out the same way this time? READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2006 ...MORE...
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TH2041 Hand Painted Richard the Lionheart Chess Set
Very detailed hand painted theme chess set with figures defined as positions and personalities of Richard the Lionheart. Historical and very attractive, the set is a remarkable chess set to own and because of the commonality of some of the positional figures, good for general chess playing too. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2005 ...MORE...
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TH2045 Hand Painted Celtic Chess Pieces
This is the beautifully decorated version of the Celtics chess set. The Celtics were inhabitants of Western Europe (Ireland, Wales, Brittany and the Highlands of Scotland). They were subjected to raids by Vikings and Norsemen and our chess set is the story of a battle between the Irish King Brian Boru, and the Viking invaders at Clontarf - Dublin. Though the Celts managed to defeat the Viking invaders, Boru was slain. This chess set features the principal characters involved in the battle and depicts Celtic designs and artefacts of the period.
Through the detailed design and decoration, the chess set portrays many of the characteristics of the era with authentic and historically correct artefacts shown in splendid detail. The skill and workmanship of the Celtic tribes was demonstrated by their artistic and unique designs, recognised throughout the world and reproduced here in this magnificent chess set. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2011 ...MORE...
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TH2062 Battle of Trafalgar Hand Painted Chess Set
The hand painted version of the battle of trafalgar. Very fitting as a theme for a chess set, Trafalgar was one of the most decisive naval battles ever fought. In the course of a short October afternoon, the Combined Fleet of France and Spain, with 33 battleships, was defeated by a British force of 27 battleships off cape Trafalgar, on the south-west coast of Spain. This chess set is dedicated to the memory of all those who fought with Nelson, and against him, in a battle where every individual appeared a hero according to Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood. The chess set here has recreated the atmosphere of the great battle and is a successful creation for the genre. READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2005 ...MORE...
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TH2076 Battle of Bannockburn Hand Decorated Chess Set
With this remarkable Battle of Bannockburn hand decorated chess set, skilled craftsmen along with skilled painters have captured a pivotal moment in Scottish history. Robert the Bruce was patriotic, and in his quest to free his land of foreign domination, he reached the climax at the Battle of Bannockburn on 24th June 1314. By the summer of 1314 only Stirling Castle remained in the grip of Scotland's English masters. It was just south of here at the Burn (or small stream) at Bannock that the Scottish army prepared for the the decisive set-piece battle against the army of King Edward II of England. Hand painted excellence! READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture TB2005 ...MORE...
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ST2011 Golf Hand Painted Chess Set
Exquisitly hand painted Golf themed chess set. A special commission to the British sculpture Peter Calvesbert - this chess set is a portrayal of old golfers against new, using St Andrews and Turnbury Lighthouse. This set is one of the best value items in our entire theme inventory! READ MORE...
Chess Board Picture SB2002 ...MORE...
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TH2066 Hand Painted Winnie the Pooh Chess
The hand painted version in a beautiful gift presentation case - Winnie the Pooh chess set. Based on the characters created by A.A. Milne and beautifully illustrated by E.H. Shepard, our designers have recreated the wonderful world of Winnie the Pooh for chess lovers young and old. Translated into almost every known language, Winnie the Pooh and his friends have universal appeal and are a beautiful example of theme chess sets. In 1966 Walt Disney brought the stories to film and in 1977 the first feature length animated film of Pooh, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was released. All the main characters from the stories are represented in this set from Winnie the Pooh, Kanga and Owl to Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. This chess set has represented the King by Winnie the Pooh himself and the queen by Kanga, the sweet caring mother of baby Roo. The owl, supposedly the wisest creature in 100 Acre Wood, is the bishop and Eeyore, the gloomy grey donkey, is the knight. Tigger the bouncy is the Rook and Piglet, Poohs best friend, is the pawn. This beautiful chess set appeals to all ages and comes complete with an illustrated board and a full set of rules. READ MORE...
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TH2064 Peter Rabbit Hand Painted Chess Set With Board and Case
The hand painted version of the Peter Rabbit Chess Set, beautifully created. The story of Peter Rabbit first appeard in a picture letter Beatrix Potter wrote to Noel Moore, the young son of her former governess, in 1893. The characters are portrayed in the individual pieces of the chess set. Encouraged by her success in having some greetings cards published, Beatrix remembered the letter seven years later and expanded in into a little picture book with black and white illustrations. After being rejected several times, it was finally published by Frederick Warne in 1902. The tale of Peter Rabbit's pacy story, engaging hero and happy ending have made it a children's classic whose appeal is timeless. The chess set comes in a presentation case and with it's own chess board. READ MORE...
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TH3001 Hand Painted Trojan including Board (Economy Range 1 of 8)
Trojan: The first of four economy series of hand painted set that include the board along with presentation packaging too. Trojan war pieces are depicted here as the theme for the set. The figures have a porcelain look and feel to them and are excellent value at this price. Each piece is fully hand painted. READ MORE...
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TH3002 Hand Painted Camelot including Board (Economy Range 2 of 8)
King Arthur: The second of four economy series of hand painted set that include the board along with presentation packaging too. This one is the Camelot theme with King Arthur. The figures have a porcelain look and feel to them and are excellent value at this price. Each piece is fully hand painted. READ MORE...
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TH3003 Hand Painted Samurai including Board (Economy Range 3 of 8)
Samurai: The third of four economy series of hand painted set that include the board along with presentation packaging too. Samurai character pieces are depicted here as the theme for the set. The figures have a porcelain look and feel to them and are excellent value at this price. Each piece is fully hand painted. READ MORE...
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TH3004 Hand Painted Crusades including Board (Economy Range 4 of 8)
Crusades: The fourth of four economy series of hand painted set that include the board along with presentation packaging too. Crusade sides are taken and the pieces are depicted here as the religious wars theme for the set. The figures have a porcelain look and feel to them and are excellent value at this price. Each piece is fully hand painted. READ MORE...
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TH3007 Hand Painted Robin Hood including Board (Economy Range 7 of 8)
Robin Hood: A set that includes both presentation gift case and board all very well presented. Robin Hood has long been a rallying figure in British folk-lore and his ongoing battle against the authority of the time is a perfect setting for a chess battle. READ MORE...
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TH3008 Hand Painted Warriors including Board (Economy Range 8 of 8)
Warrior: A set that includes both presentation gift case and board all very well presented. The warrior set is perfect for a chess theme. Ready to do battle? READ MORE...
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TH3005 Hand Painted Egyptian including Board (Economy Range 5 of 8)
Egyptian: A set that includes both presentation gift case and board all very well presented. The Egyptian chess set shows remarkable design and has an immediate attraction through the bright gold colouring. READ MORE...
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TH3006 Hand Painted Waterloo including Board (Economy Range 6 of 8)
Waterloo: A set that includes both presentation gift case and board all very well presented. The battle of waterloo is one of the most obvious themes for a chess set and has obvious European appeal. The characters - The Duke of Wellington, Marshal Blucher and the Prince of Orange against the Emperor Napoleon are all depicted in this set. READ MORE...
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Hand Painted Theme Chess Sets
Hand painted chess sets take much time and care to construct. There are many cheaper versions available - these are often lightweight, skimpy on detail and designed for easy casual and fun use. They have a place, but we don't do this kind of hand painted chess set. We market high quality fine examples of the hand painted chess genre. These designs are the types that would feature in future antique shows, although they're not all serious designs, many are fun settings and frivolous themes. But their standard of construction has the hallmark of quality. We are confident you'll appreciate the examples shown here - we hope we can be of service to you.
