Games

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	French prisoner-of-war bed-shaped domino box carved from bone, circa 1810

Sallea Antiques has a diverse collection of game boards and boxes ranging from tiny domino boxes to large and elaborate compendiums. The games compendium could be considered the home entertainment center of the 19th century. It usually included chessmen, backgammon pieces and dominoes made of ebony and satinwood or dyed ivory. A leather playing board, a cribbage board, cards, dice cups and a book of rules rounded out the contents. Other variations could include smal cast and painted horses, riders and jumps for “Steeple Chase,” carved mallets for “Ball and Hammer,” and miniature mallets, balls and wickets for table-top croquet.

The most famous makers of games compendia was the English firm Jaques & Son. Descended from French Huguenots, the family business had centered on ivory carving and wood inlay work for several generations. Prior the the beginning of the 19th century there existed no standard design for chess pieces. Beautifully carves ivory sets were made, especially in France, but these tended to be very costly and often not sturdy enough for real play. In 1839, Jaques produced the traditional design that is recognized and favored by players today. This became known as the Staunton set, named for Howard Staunton, a world chess champion in 1843. Staunton chess pieces in signed boxes and games compendia with the Jaques mark are prized and avidly sought by collectors.

	English bagatelle table, circa 1860

Individual game boards and boxes are popular both as collectors items and decorative pieces. Cribbage boards especially were crafted using every type of applied or inlaid decoration including ivory, bone, horn, tortoiseshell, wood and brass. Dominoes and backgammon pieces can come in simple English wooden boxes with slide tops or in elaborately carved ivory boxes made by French prisoners of war

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