THE PERSONAL GAME OF THE GREATEST CHESS PLAYER OF THE 18th - Lot 58

Lot 58
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THE PERSONAL GAME OF THE GREATEST CHESS PLAYER OF THE 18th - Lot 58
THE PERSONAL GAME OF THE GREATEST CHESS PLAYER OF THE 18th ANDRÉ DANICAN-PHILIDOR (1726-1795). Exceptional set including chessboard, chess pieces and box, once belonging to the "Grand Philidor". 18th century, circa 1750. The rectangular board opens in two and is sheathed in brown vellum, partially painted in black and white checkerboard, with a fine roulette frieze around the edges. Small stains and folds, leather rubbed. H. 43 x W. 34.5 cm. The wooden game piece box, rectangular in shape, hinged, pyrographed on the lid "Philidor / Boîte aux lettres...", on the right side "Buis et Palissandre / T Dx 7 / oo", and inscribed in ink on the reverse "Philidor Danican (Philidor)". H. 9 x W. 16 x D. 10 cm. The set includes 31 original turned and carved boxwood and rosewood pieces. A few chips. A "white" pawn completes the set. One of the "white" knights is marked on the reverse "Philidor grand joueur d'échecs". H. 4 to 10 cm. Provenance - François-André Danican Philidor (1726-1795). - Then by descent. Exhibitions - Philidor et son temps", Dreux, Chapelle de l'Hôtel-Dieu, June 19, 1995 - July 14, 1995. - Philidor, enfant de Dreux, Tricentenaire (1726-1795), Histoire d'un génie drouais", Dreux, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Dreux, May 23, 2025 - September 7, 2025. History Born in Dreux in 1726, François-André Danican Philidor, known as "Le Grand Philidor", came from a dynasty of musicians renowned since the reign of King Louis XIII. Son of André Danican Philidor, known as l'Aîné, composer and librarian to King Louis XIV, he entered the Chapelle royale de Versailles as a page at the age of 10, composed his first works at the age of 12 and began giving music lessons at 14. In 1760, he married Élisabeth Richer, herself a singer and harpsichordist, daughter of the Duke of Chartres's composer, François-Joseph Riché. He was one of the creators of French opéra-comique, with his works Blaise le Savetier, premiered in 1759, and Ernelinde, Princesse de Norvège: the latter was partially revived for the wedding festivities of the Dauphin, future Louis XVI, and the Dauphine, future Marie-Antoinette, and then for the marriage of the Comte d'Artois and Marie-Thérèse de Savoie in 1773, which enabled him to obtain a pension from King Louis XV. Alongside his musical career, François-André Danican Philidor is also known for his practice and theorization of chess. In addition to his music lessons in Paris, he was a regular at the Café de la Régence, where he established himself as the champion of the chess club. Known for his blind play, he traveled all over Europe, including the Netherlands, Germany and England, beating the greatest players of his time. and beat the greatest players of his time. In 1749, he published L'Analyse des Échecs, one of the first chess treatises, published over a hundred times and translated into several languages, including English by 1790. Fearing civil war, he went into exile in England in 1792; he never set foot on French soil again, and died in London in 1795. Literature - Louis Gabriel Michaud, Biographie Universelle ancienne et moderne, tome 33, Paris, chez Madame C. Desplaces, 1843. - Jean-François and Nicolas Dupont-Danican Philidor, Les Philidor, Une dynastie de musiciens, éditions Zurfluh, Bourg-la-Reine, 1995, p. 53. Related works - Augustin Pajou, Buste de François-André Danican Philidor, offert en 1783 par la ville de Paris à Mme Philidor, Paris, Musée Carnavalet (inv. S3340). - Anonymous, Philidor playing Blindfold at Parsloe's in London in presence of the Turkish Ambassador 23 February 1784, etching published by J. Wheble, Warwick Square London, of which one copy is in the Wellcome Collection (inv. 33379i).
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