Coffeehouse chessmen
Reproduction coffeehouse chessmen
Coffeehouse chessmen, or Old Vienna chessmen, were designed in Vienna, Austria, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Much like the later Dubrovnik chessmen, the Bishops (but not royalty) wear hats of the opposing colour. In some cases, this is shaped like a sort of bobbly beret that to my mind looks reminiscent of an acorn.
As with the other Eastern and Central European chessmen, there's no religious iconography.
A typical King height seems to be about 2¾" (7 cm), making these chessmen significantly smaller than their twenty-first century reproductions.
Further reading
- "Austrian Coffeehouse Chess Set, ca. 1860 — 1880" Dr. Holger Langer, Holger's Antique Chess Set Collection
Styles of chessmen: Bauhaus chessmen | Coffeehouse chessmen | Dubrovnik chessmen | Lewis chessmen | Staunton chessmen
