Minimii Vermiculo (Traces of Red); 32 weighted chessmen without board, honey-red v. deep brown, wood, Soviet, c.1950-1965
Height: King 10.3cm, wt 30g, base width 4cm, Queen 9.6cm wt 26g, Bishop 8.5cm, Knight 7.8cm, Rook 6.5cm, Pawn 5.7cm; W: red felt bases, B; black felt bases.
Quite simply, a wonderful example of the classic Soviet ‘Baku’ series of tournament chessmen. A clean, modern approach to an iconic Russian chess set – respectfully keeping the original flavour of the Stalin era in mind, of course!
The antiqued ‘ruddy’’ finish of the light pieces has been gradually achieved applying many thin coats of tinted shellac, oils, and coloured waxes, which will mature nicely with age. The dark pieces have been stripped and restained in a rich walnut brown with deep amber undertones complimenting the light pieces perfectly. All in all, a very sexy set to handle, ogle and play with!
The pieces are UV resistant and ideal for display as well as casual/blitz play. Both kings carry the hand-painted iridescent silver ‘power’ signature of the artist on their bases representing the year 2020.Ref code: MV20
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