These remarkable chess sets span civilizations, chronicling the game and its design beginning with the earliest known pieces and coming up to the surprising present. Considering chess through the perspectives of art and history, the engaging text touches upon the influences of local cultures and available materials, as well as the battles, rulers, and political factions that often inspired thematic sets. In addition to classic sets produced by Wedgwood, Meissen, and Murano,Chess Masterpiecesincludes the first ever comparison of two sets created by Faberge (only one of which was previously known to exist), and extensive examples of 20th- and 21st-century sets crafted by artists such as Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Salvador Dali, and Damien Hirst.