Hand-Carved Sheesham Chess Set with Board and Pieces

About this piece

Hand-Carved Sheesham Chess Set with Board and Pieces — A carved sheesham board with a full set of turned pieces. Made by hand from sheesham (rosewood) and carved by hand, in the Sillanwali Handicrafts workshop in Sillanwali, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It measures about 18 in square board. It costs PKR 17,500 for the whole set. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

A chess board built from solid sheesham, the squares laid in alternating dark sheesham and pale wood, framed by a wide border carved by hand in a running floral pattern with shaped corners. It comes with a full set of turned pieces — thirty-two in dark and light to match the board. The board is the work of several hands. Every square is cut and laid individually rather than printed on a sheet, so the pattern is in the wood and cannot wear off; the border is then carved freehand with chisel and gouge, which is why the flowers change a little from one side to the next. The pieces are turned on the khraad, each one finished by eye against the last so a set matches in height and weight. It is made to be left out rather than packed away — a drawing room, a study, an office — and it is the kind of piece given at a wedding, a retirement or a big birthday, where the gift is expected to last. Played on or not, it reads as furniture. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha, and carved individually, so the grain, the carving and the exact colour of the pieces vary between sets. Dust with a soft dry cloth and a dry brush into the carving, keep water and polish sprays off the wood, and keep it out of direct sunlight.

Every piece is made by hand, so the wood grain, carving and colour vary a little from the photo. That variation is normal and is what makes each one its own.