The Selenus chess set (1616)

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Reconstruction of the Selenus chess set, shown on our painted chess board
  • Reconstruction of the Selenus chess set, shown on our painted chess board
  • Selenus chess pieces – king, queen, bishop, knight, rook, pawn
  • Selenus chess set, recreating the layout in the image from Das Schach-oder
  • Selenus chess set, showing all the white pieces on our painted chess board

  • The Selenus chess set (1616)

  • The first, and simplest, of the Selenus style of chess sets
  • £0.00
Commission Only

Our chess sets, as well as some of our other larger games, are made to order. Please get in touch via our contact page for a quote, including time scales and shipping costs, or to discuss your own requirements. The set shown here is based on illustrations published by Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, writing as Gustav Selenus, in his Das Schach-oder König-Spiel (The Chess or King Game) in 1616; and an approximate price for this set (pieces only) would be in the region of £300. The set is displayed on one of our painted wooden chessboards.

The Selenus set is one of the earlier published chess sets to feature the castle tower as the rook, first introduced in the late sixteenth century. You can read more about the Selenus chess set here and about the development of Early Historic chess sets here.

One of our Selenus chess sets featured in the BBC series The Musketeers, set in early seventeenth century France.

Specifications for the illustrated set:

  • Pieces turned and carved from beech wood
  • White pieces are the natural wood colour; black pieces are stained
  • All pieces are sanded, but not oiled, waxed or varnished
  • King is 1.5" diameter at the base
  • King is 4.25" tall
  • Pieces are supplied in a sturdy wire-stitched cardboard box

 

Historic Period or Date:

  • late C16th to mid C17th

Materials and Special Features:

  • Beech wood pieces

Dimensions:

  • Height: up to 4.25"
  • Diameter: max. 1.5"