18 August 2013

Could Be a Checker Board

For this series on Top eBay Chess Items by Price, I prefer that an item be clearly identified as a chess item. If it's artwork, that means something more than an empty chess board. This avoids non-chess items like the work shown in Matisse Was a Checker Player.

The painting shown below, titled 'Monumental 50's Expressionist Painting by Franzoi Chess Players "Next Move"', doesn't quite meet my criteria, but I still liked it more than the two other items on my short list: (1) an autographed Fischer photo [~$750, 'Best offer accepted'], and (2) a 1990 letter from Walter Browne to Mikhail Tal about the World Blitz Chess Association [$430 after 46 bids from five bidders]. Initially listed for $1295, the painting sold for around $900, also 'Best offer accepted'.

The description added,

Oil on canvas / magnificent art by Italian Painter. Art ~ 39" x 27.5", Frame ~ 45" x 33", Fresh From The Estate of a Prominent Art Gallery Owner.

A Google image search on 'art franzoi' didn't reveal any other works that looked similar, but did return lots of photos of Aline Franzoi,

A model who’s said she’s an evangelical Christian is reportedly appearing on the cover of the Brazilian edition of Playboy magazine in September [2013], the Christian Post reports, adding that she apparently won’t pose nude because of her faith.

That makes two of us.

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