*SOLD* Migrum Milites (Megrino Knights); Soviet Upright Weighted Chess Set, Artistically Recreated with master-carver, Misha Sokolov of the Megrina Art Studio, Russia, c.1980s

Migrum Milites (Megrino Knights); Soviet Upright Weighted Chess Set, Artistically Recreated with master-carver, Misha Sokolov of the Megrina Art Studio, Russia, c.1980s
Height: King 11cm, weight 16g, base width 3cm; Queen 10.5cm, wt. 14g; Bishop 9cm 12g, Knight 6cm 12g, Rook 5.2cm 16g, Pawns 4.8cm 6g.
W: lush Prussian Blue felt pads; B: same

This is the third of four projects ventured into with my friend and fellow artisan, Misha Sokolov. The rooks are my own design, replacing four missing originals and wonderfully ‘turned’ into reality by Misha, the ‘magician’ from the Megrina Art Studio, Megrino. Two missing light knights were also delicately carved by Misha and the pieces colour-matched antiqued and brought together by yours truly. Sadly, all future projects have been put on hold because of the troubles in Ukraine, from where I just recently discovered this set supposedly originated (more on this later).

The set was purchased (incomplete) back in 2017 with no board and no accompanying information other than it was Soviet. Having searched for a few years with no luck I finally decided to design the missing rooks myself, solely based on how I imagined they’d look, as I had come across no similar sets for sale and no photographs of the original pattern. I chose Misha to work with, as I was well aware of his stunning Isle of Lewis replica pieces intricately carved from walrus tusk and elk antlers and his delicate and detailed carving from maple wood surpassed my expectations.

In the midst of the project, however, I was made aware of another almost identical Soviet Upright that had come up for sale and with the aid of a collector in St. Petersburg was able to secure the set for my collection. Moreover, and most importantly, this set came with an original board – a warped, useless piece of… – but it was the label inside that I was really excited about, which my friend John Moyes was able to translate for me;

Beregmetskiy Woodshop,

Vizhnitsky Region,

Chernovitskaya Oblast,

Western Ukraine 1985.

(bordering Moldova and Romania)

Although the set differs slightly in size, I am fairly certain they emananted, at least, from the same workshop, ending almost five years of speculation about age and origin. The finishes were matched using very thin layers of shellac/methyl hydrate tinted with Odie’s powdered pigments. Also, weight has been added to provide more stability and make them feel much more substantial over the board.

The pieces are UV resistant and ideal for display as well as casual play and both kings carry the hand-painted, iridescent copper ‘Power’ signature of the artist on their bases. The Megrino Knights are also accompanied by our hand-drawn ‘Certificate of Artistry’ which will be posted out separately once we tally up how many ‘Copper Signature’ sets pass through our galleries in 2022 “… all good things …” as the old saying goes.

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SOLD Migrum Milites (Megrino Knights); Soviet Upright Weighted Chess Set, Artistically Recreated with master-carver, Misha Sokolov of the Megrina Art Studio, Russia, c.1980s