616 - Folding Games Board in Lacquerwork with Chess Pieces, Asian Decoration

Folding Games Board in Lacquerwork with Chess Pieces, Asian Decoration Wood, black lacquered, with red and gold decoration, light inlays. Folding games board in lacquerwork: the outside on a deep black ground with red pine sprays, between them sailing ships heightened in gold; it carries the inlaid chessboard of light, finely crackled and black squares within a red border. Opened out, the board reveals the playing field for backgammon, its light crackled points set against the black ground; in the centre of each half an upright oval field in orange-red with sailing ships, shorelines and red pine sprays. Two brass hinges at the centre, two brass clasps at the sides. The set of chess pieces is included. Good condition commensurate with age. Opened out 57 x 65 cm Lacquered games boxes of this kind were made for export and combine European games with East Asian decoration. The construction as a folding double board, with the chessboard outside and the backgammon field inside, goes back to European games boards of the 17th and 18th centuries; backgammon and chess were traditionally united in one box, which at the same time served to store the pieces.