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Antique Arcana
€890.00 EUR
A remarkable and highly decorative handmade checkers game crafted in the Italian Alps during the interwar period.
Entirely made and pierced by hand, this beautiful wooden game board originates from Calalzo di Cadore, in the Belluno province of the Dolomites, a region renowned for its long tradition of woodcarving and folk craftsmanship.
The board is richly adorned with openwork scrollwork and numerous fleur-de-lys motifs, repeated across the playing surface and on the original white playing pieces. Beneath the board, a practical drawer system with original compartments stores the complete set of counters.
An original handwritten inscription appears on the board: "Lavoro a Mano" ("Handmade"), proudly certifying its artisanal creation. Additional handwritten inscriptions record its place of origin and date:
Calalzo di Cadore – Agosto 1928
making this an authentic nearly century-old survivor.
🔹 Origin: Calalzo di Cadore (Belluno, Italy)
🔹 Date: August 1928 (handwritten inscriptions on front and underside)
🔹 Material: Hand-carved wood
🔹 Complete with 22 original playing pieces: 12 white and 10 red. Please note that 2 red pieces appear to be missing.
🔹 White counters decorated with fleur-de-lys motifs
🔹 Openwork carved border throughout
🔹 Original handwritten "Lavoro a Mano" inscription
🔹 One-of-a-kind folk-art creation
Good antique condition overall.
The board remains structurally sound and complete, with the original counters and storage drawers present. As expected for a handcrafted object approaching one hundred years old, it shows signs of age and use, including surface wear, minor losses to the decorative carving, and a natural age-related crack visible across the playing surface. These imperfections contribute to its authenticity and historical charm.
Handmade gaming boards from the Italian Dolomites are becoming increasingly difficult to find, especially examples that remain both dated and signed by their maker. The inscriptions identifying Calalzo di Cadore and August 1928, together with the handwritten mention Lavoro a Mano, elevate this piece beyond a simple game into a genuine document of local craftsmanship.
Unlike factory-produced boards of the period, every element here—from the intricate fretwork border to the pierced fleur-de-lys motifs—was individually executed by hand. Its survival with the original counters and drawer mechanism makes it a particularly attractive example of early twentieth-century Italian folk art.
A wonderful decorative and collectible piece combining traditional Alpine craftsmanship, folk art, and antique gaming history.
Antique Arcana
€890.00 EUR
€890.00 EUR
€890.00 EUR
A remarkable and highly decorative handmade checkers game crafted in the Italian Alps during the interwar period.
Entirely made and pierced by hand, this beautiful wooden game board originates from Calalzo di Cadore, in the Belluno province of the Dolomites, a region renowned for its long tradition of woodcarving and folk craftsmanship.
The board is richly adorned with openwork scrollwork and numerous fleur-de-lys motifs, repeated across the playing surface and on the original white playing pieces. Beneath the board, a practical drawer system with original compartments stores the complete set of counters.
An original handwritten inscription appears on the board: "Lavoro a Mano" ("Handmade"), proudly certifying its artisanal creation. Additional handwritten inscriptions record its place of origin and date:
Calalzo di Cadore – Agosto 1928
making this an authentic nearly century-old survivor.
🔹 Origin: Calalzo di Cadore (Belluno, Italy)
🔹 Date: August 1928 (handwritten inscriptions on front and underside)
🔹 Material: Hand-carved wood
🔹 Complete with 22 original playing pieces: 12 white and 10 red. Please note that 2 red pieces appear to be missing.
🔹 White counters decorated with fleur-de-lys motifs
🔹 Openwork carved border throughout
🔹 Original handwritten "Lavoro a Mano" inscription
🔹 One-of-a-kind folk-art creation
Good antique condition overall.
The board remains structurally sound and complete, with the original counters and storage drawers present. As expected for a handcrafted object approaching one hundred years old, it shows signs of age and use, including surface wear, minor losses to the decorative carving, and a natural age-related crack visible across the playing surface. These imperfections contribute to its authenticity and historical charm.
Handmade gaming boards from the Italian Dolomites are becoming increasingly difficult to find, especially examples that remain both dated and signed by their maker. The inscriptions identifying Calalzo di Cadore and August 1928, together with the handwritten mention Lavoro a Mano, elevate this piece beyond a simple game into a genuine document of local craftsmanship.
Unlike factory-produced boards of the period, every element here—from the intricate fretwork border to the pierced fleur-de-lys motifs—was individually executed by hand. Its survival with the original counters and drawer mechanism makes it a particularly attractive example of early twentieth-century Italian folk art.
A wonderful decorative and collectible piece combining traditional Alpine craftsmanship, folk art, and antique gaming history.
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