BAUHAUS Chess Set. Designed in 1923 by Josef Hartwig.
Every era brings about developments, with influential and lasting new impulses. At the beginning of the last century, a motor responsible for further development was the artistic pedagogical programme of the legendary Bauhaus movement.
The philosophy of the interconnection between artistic, technical manufacturing and social dimensions counts as a fundamental turning point influencing industrial design of the twentieth century. In cooperation with the Bauhaus archive in Berlin, Naef Play Objects Ltd. produces these objects according to the original designs as an authorized manufacturer.
This game of chess with clean lines is typical of timless Bauhaus style.
Josef Hartwig's chesmen, designed in 1923, have characteristically reduced forms wich, in contrast to commonly used figures, are symbols based purely on the function and form of the manoeuvre of each piece.
Cubes, cylinders and balls lead you move by move to chekmate.
Zoom
The pieces:
  |
The PAWN and the CASTLE move parallel and perpendicular to the edges of the board: this is expressed by the cube shape.
|
|
|
The KNIGHT executes an L-shape movement spanning four squares: the symbol used is four cubes in a rectangular configuration. |
|
|
The BISHOP moves at 45° to the edge of the board: an oblique cross cut out of the cube expresses this motion. |
|
|
The KING moves diagonally and at right angles: this is expressed by a small cube skewed on a larger cube. |
|
|
The QUEEN - wich has the greatest freedom of movement - is composed of a cube and a sphere. It offers a strong contrast to the king, the castle, and the pawn where the concept of heaviness and mass ist expressed by the cube. |
Dimensions
:
chessboard: 36 x 36 x 1,2 cm
32 pieces since 1,8 to 5 cm (in a wooden box 44 x 7,5 x 4,5 cm)
