Cosaccorum (The Cossacks); Khatman ‘Bohdan Khmelnytsky’ Ukrainian Figural Chess Set, c.1980

The Cossacks (Cosaccorum); 32 vintage figural chess pieces without board, solid plastic, Ukrainian, ivory vs. chestnut brown, artistically reimagined, hand-painted, c.1980

Height: King 11cm, weight 50g, base width 3.5cm; Queen 10.2cm, wt.40g, Bishop 9.5cm 28g, Knight 7.5cm 30g, Rook 6cm 30g, Pawns 6.7cm 28g.

W: ivory felt pads; B: black felt pads

 

Folk with Ukrainian/Polish ancestry would be familiar with the name Bohdan Khmelnytsky (pictured), a Robert the Bruce of Old Rus, if you like, who led the cossack rebellion against the Poles in the mid-17th century. Here “The Prince of Rus” represents the figure of the king, alongside his wife, Hanna Somko (pictured), who was captured and slain by Polish magnates following a land dispute over a newly built fortification in 1647.

 

The bishops take the form of cossack colonels, or soteniks, probably modelled after Mykhailo Krychevsky (pictured), the godfather of Bohdan’s son and overlord of Castle Cherkassy, which we imagine to be represented by the rooks.

 

The robust knights reflect the cossack cavalry, loosely based, I believe, on the Yugoslavian Dubrovnik pattern of the 1950s, in tune with the unique Eastern European theme of the set as a whole. The pawn army consists of crouching cossack militia sporting the traditional ‘oseledets’ hairstyle and handlebar moustaches, in recent times a symbol of Ukrainian national identity in their ongoing fight for independence (pic: heavy-weight boxer, Oleksandr Usyk in 2022).

 

The set itself has been entirely reimagined. The now ivory coloured pieces were originally the black army, the brown pieces the white (see last photo). The set is now not only much more playable and pleasing to the eye, but I was able to bring to the fore the fine detail work of the pieces, which have been highlighted with 18k gold on the light side and iridescent bronze on the dark. The knit lines from the moulds, which are cleverly disguised within the design, have for the most part been carefully removed giving the set a porcelain feel about them – no doubt, the original intention of the Ukrainian designers and artisans.

 

Hand-painted figural chess pieces has almost become a lost art in the wake of mass production. This is a fine example of what a chess set could look like given some due care and attention and I hope The Cossacks find themselves a good home where they will be appreciated and put to much use for many decades to come.

 

Cosaccorum are UV resistant and ideal for display as well as casual play and BOTH QUEENS (and not the kings this year!) carry the hand-painted iridescent GOLD 2024 ‘Power signature’ of the artist on their bases. The set is also accompanied by our uniquely designed ‘Certificate of Artistry’ (see our Jan 2022 chessay, THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE C.O.A’s for more info on these).

 

Etsy Set Price:$850.00

 

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