Ivory and Wedgwood

For this next edition of Top eBay Chess Items by Price, a couple of chess sets sold for far more than I normally see, even by the norms of this series. A set described as

Jaques Staunton chess set. It is early, mid 19th century? The Kings are 4 3/8" Of the very finest material, they are well marked and have had no repairs.

sold 'Best Offer' for US $9500. Why so expensive? The key phrase is 'the very finest material', meaning ivory, which is a prohibited material on eBay. Another item, described as

A Wedgwood chess set! The chess set was on display at the United Kingdom pavilion at Disney in Florida for over 10 years.

sold 'Buy It Now' for $6100. Since the set had no board, this comes to a little over $190 per piece.

The painting pictured below, titled 'BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE LARGE OIL PAINTING - OLD CHESS PLAYER', also sold 'Best Offer' for $1,500.

The description repeated the title and added,

Size 30 by 46" (frame 35 by 51"). No holes. Condition is visible on the photos.

with no further information. Considering the condition -- the spots look like ghosts of leopards -- and the price, I suppose that the buyer recognized the artist and picked up a bargain. The piece is certainly nicely drawn.

***

Later: By coincidence, I found the same painting listed in an auction catalog...

Percy Ernst Renowitsky (GERMAN, 1867 - ?). Depicts an older clergyman in his quarters playing a game of chess against himself. Measures 30 1/4" height x 46 1/4" width + 2 5/8" matte & frame.(Pre-sale estimate $2000-$3000)

...along with a detail showing the signature: P.E.Renowitsky, Berlin. Then it got weirder. A search on "clergyman in his quarters playing a game of chess" picked up a number of references. The first result said,

Georg Hausdorf (GERMAN, 1888 - 1959). Depicts an older clergyman in his quarters playing a game of chess against himself. Signed in lower right. Measures 30 1/4" height x 46 1/4" width + 2 5/8" matte & frame.

It went on to explain the cause of the damage: 'This painting was recovered from one of these art burnings during the war in Germany. The painting was recovered with some fire damage.' So who was the artist, Renowitsky or Hausdorf?