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
(For Chess Computers: Chess Computer (Desktop), Chess Computer (Handheld))
Items Ordered by Price: Low to High
TH2067 Hand Painted Trojan War including Board (Economy Range 1 of 4) Crushed Stone. King Height 3.2 inch. Included Board 16 inch 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...
TH2068 Hand Painted Camelot including Board (Economy Range 2 of 4) Crushed Stone. King Height 3.2 inch. Included Board 16 inch 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...
TH2069 Hand Painted Samurai including Board (Economy Range 3 of 4) Crushed Stone. King Height 3.2 inch. Included Board 16 inch 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...
TH2070 Hand Painted Crusades including Board (Economy Range 4 of 4) Crushed Stone. King Height 3.2 inch. Included Board 16 inch 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...
ST2008 Hand Painted American Civil War Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Marble. King Height 6 inches, weighted at 225g With the main character of Abraham Lincoln, here's the flagship of theme hand painted chess sets - what chess sets with some historical occurance were made for - the American Civil war. Embedded in the US psychology are characters such as Abe Lincoln and Mary Tod Lincoln, Ulysees Grant, William T Sherman, Jefferson Davis, Verina Howell Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and all the brave infantry men with their capitols of Richmond and Washington. This is the pre-eminent of theme chess sets, the example for others to follow. The detail and quality of this chess set is nothing short of extraordinairy and a fitting testament to the awful period for America of the civil war. READ MORE...
ST2011 Golf Hand Painted Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Marble. King Height 5 inches, Diameter 2.2 inches, Weighted at 195g 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. READ MORE...
TH2064 Peter Rabbit Hand Painted Chess Set With Board and Case Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Rabbit Size 3.75 inches 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...
TH2066 Hand Painted Winnie the Pooh Chess Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Pooh Size 3.5 inches 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, Pooh’s 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...
TH2017 Battle of Hastings Hand Painted Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 4.5 inches A ChessBaron offering of 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...
TH2028 Sherlock Holmes Hand Decorated Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 5 inches 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...
TH2030 The Crusades Hand Decorated Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 5.25 inches. 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...
TH2037 Hand Painted Battle of Waterloo Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 4.25 inches 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...
TH2041 Hand Painted Richard the Lionheart Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 3.75 inches 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...
TH2045 Hand Painted Celtic Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 4.25 inches 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...
TH2076 Battle of Bannockburn Hand Decorated Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 4.75 inches 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...
TH2060 White Tower Hand Painted Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 5.5 inches 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...
TH2062 Battle of Trafalgar Hand Painted Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 5.5 inches 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...
ST2035 Hand Painted Cats and Dogs Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Marble. King Size 3.75 inches Made in England. Sculpted by - no, it's not a joke - Caroline McCatty - a recognised sculpture in chess designs. Delightful full hand painted version of the Cats and Dogs chess design. Colourful and innovative chess set for dog lovers and cat haters, or cat lovers and dog haters. Hmmm… maybe just one for pet lovers. A perfect setting for a battle. Frivolity aside, look at the detail of this chess set . Expand the pictures to their fullest size - expressions are included in the faces and the individual setting of the pieces are artfully contrived to achieve the atmosphere of a lighthearted battle of chess. Assuming you're not the family dog or cat that is. A pefect gift for pet lovers, dog lovers, cat haters,... oh, let's not get into that again... READ MORE...
TH2057 Lord of the Rings Hand Painted Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 4.5 inches One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In 1997, Lord of the Rings was voted, to the chagrin of some critics, the greatest book of the twentieth century in a poll run by major British booksellers. Despite some negative criticism, Lord of the Rings has been a steady best-seller since the first volume was published in 1954, and a campus craze in the sixties and early seventies. Despite its roots in medieval literature, Lord of the Rings places its characters and its readers on a collision course with modern moral dilemmas of knowledge and power. Tolkien poses these modern problems with absolute ethical principles and a belief in both an overarching providence and the importance of human choice. Although Tolkien always insisted that Lord of the Rings was not allegorical, it is apparent that the Ruling Ring and the destruction of the natural world that flows from the desire for its power are a reflection of Tolkien's concern for humanity's ability to destroy both itself and the earth. That Tolkien chooses a course of total rejection of such knowledge and power is perhaps one of the unconscious sources of some critics' reaction to the work. READ MORE...
TH2051 Hand Painted Canterbury Cathedral Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 5.25 inches 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...
ST2036 Henry VIII Hand Painted Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Marble. King Height 5.5 inches inch Diameter 1.7 inch. 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...
TH2024 Battle of Culloden Hand Painted Chess Set - Deluxe Heavy Weighted in Crushed Stone. King Size 4.75 inches 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...
ST2034 Lewis Carroll Hand Painted Chess Set Heavy Weighted in Crushed Marble. King Height 5.5 inches, Diameter 1.6 inches, Weight 5.5oz Made in England. Delightful hand painted chess set depicting the famous characters created by the outstanding Lewis Carroll. The set is available in unpainted format or this version which is one of the finest we have seen in a painted version. Every part of each piece is finely decorated, even the base. A most wonderful gift. READ MORE...
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.
