18th Century Italian Gaming Board

A folk art wall panel hand painted by an itinerant artist in Sweden in 1837 (dated), depicting the nativity, with the three kings on horseback paying homage to Mary seated on a thron...

A late 18th century/early 19th century trade sign from a Dutch West Indies shipping merchant. The carved wood and polychromed sign depicts a winged-foot Mercury figure surrounded by ...

Good early 19th century Swedish folk painted wall panel depicting a flowering urn with perched bid, surrounded by several scroll-painted borders, all in pleasing blues, grays and ora...

Very good 19th Century northern Italian circular tilt top center table with profuse marquetry inlay in geometric patterns, the center with bird on flowering branch, with walnut, oliv...

Beautifully hand-crafted and quietly sculptural, this 19th-century American Folk Art game board was made not in a factory, but by someone who clearly knew their way around a piece of...

19Thc Original mustard painted on a black painted base trimmed in red pin striped.The condition is very good and a undisturbed surface.

Wood and leather game box for chess, Nine men’s morris and Backgammon Italy, 19th century 33 x 33,3 x 11,2 cm Nine men’s morris also known as mill game (merelles, from the Latin wor...

Very early American wooden games board; probably the oldest I have handled, this dates to about circa 1835 and exhibits the markings of a typical cottage industry type manufacture (not unlike very early Noah's Arks). Obviously entirely hand crafted; measurements are not exactly square (left to right; top to bottom), probably made of a local soft wood, and hand painted with squares not perfectly delineated. Black light and "loop" inspection reveals age crazing and original paint that, in conjunction with original wear and no attempt to touch up, dates it to the early 19th century. Most definitely American, as the last thing an English immigrant would have brought to America at that time would have been a game. When closed, or in the folding position, the board game simulates and is made to look like two books resting side by side (see images), and thusly, was made to sit on a book shelf, either horizontally or vertically; and to be pulled out to play games when desired, which would have been either the game of checkers (draughts), chess, or backgammon. The board opens up to a two sided game option. On one side is the proverbial 64 square (English/ American version) of chess or checkers; and on the other side is a backgammon board. Both sides are hand painted in gold and black, with a rust colored border around the checkerboard. The interior backgammon play area is also black and gold with the same color rust area to the central part. Nail hinges in the center frame, pivot the two sides to open, while a leather covering borders the edge trim, which is 50% lacking on the hinge side. I state the condition to be good, considering it's age, it's use, and the fact that it is still very "usable" and, if taken care of, will probably continue to be so for nearly another 200 years! The checkers, (12) black pieces and (12) yellow (the correct numbers) are hand carved in wood and hand painted. The backgammon pieces (stored in period wooden box) contain 14 yellow hand painted and carved pieces and (13) black ones. (15) of each color are used to play backgammon (simply use the checkers, which are just about the same size (see images) to make up the difference. Most antique game boards...