Provenance of Design

Hi all,
Being relatively new to this fine game, I am interested in so many aspects of it.

If I am lucky (and hints to my family have been taken), I may find The Immortal Game by David Shenk under the Christmas tree!

Further, I recently purchased two sets, which I noted in the “Post your chess sets” thread.

Rather than hijack that thread - I thought I would pose a seperate question here about the provenance of the design of the bridle knights and double-crowned queen in my set but also the evolution of the design of chess pieces more generally.

There’s probably a dedicated thread about chess piece design and my cursory search did not uncover it; my apologies if this is the case - please point me in the direction if that is so.

Thanks in advance for any direction on the topic - I’ll devour any information accordingly.

PS - here's a picture of the knight and double-crowned queen for reference too.

 

I suspect if this set had a historical pedigree that it's roots would be featured in the product's description. Many of the fancier sets you see out there are contemporary designs.

In Staunton Castles online site and HoS site they usually give a nice little Historical Synopsis.  

Thanks Lou and KP. I feel a little silly - I did read some background when I was purchasing both my sets. After your responses, I went back to reference the CB site and there is no historical reference per se.... other than to say the GM Blitz is based on a Staunton pattern.

I quite like the idea that they are essentially just interpretations on historical chess pieces rather than any specific reproductions. Not that I dislike repro’s ... for example - I am attracted to Austrian and Vienna Coffee House sets and I reckon - as I get to understand the history of the game more and some players - I may like to reference sets that they used. Who knows where this addiction will take me. 😊

That said, I am still very interested in the genesis of chess piece design and the influences across time, geography, social and political environments etc... I’ll keep delving into it will appreciate any references to read.