Martin FennellyAntiques

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Look what Martin Fennelly Antiques has put up for sale on-line: <br/><br/> <a href='http://www.fennelly.net/Item.aspx?id=23658'>150 Superb Luxury Chess Set - Bronze Gold and Silver - Italian - Venetian</a><br/><br/><img src='/images/no_image.jpg' alt='150 Superb Luxury Chess Set - Bronze Gold and Silver - Italian - Venetian'/><br/><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong>This is a spectacular Chess Board and pieces made in Italy and depicting The Venetian Middle Ages.</strong> This unique Chess Set, made in <strong>Bronze</strong> by lost wax process technique, finished using Real <strong>Gold 24 Karat</strong>. <strong>Each piece is signed by the Sculptor</strong>. The Chess Board is made in <strong>Onyx</strong>, <strong>Marble</strong> and <strong>Bronze</strong> with a frame in<strong> Silver</strong> and real gold.&nbsp; This is a truly magnificent Chess Set and what a gift for the chess player 'with everthing'. The Board is supported by Crouching lions the Symbol of Venice (winged lions). Please note this is a very heavy item - Shipping to USA would be Circa &euro;650.&nbsp;</span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: #333333;"><strong>Knight Height</strong> 7" (18cm) - <strong>Chessboard Width and Depth</strong> 26.3" (67cm) <strong>Board Height</strong> 3.75" (9.5cm)</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #333333;">&euro;11950.00</span></span></span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The origins of Venice date back to the 7th century. a.D. : it seems that the city was founded by people who fled, threatened by the invasions of the Huns and the Lombards. Initially the Venetians were under the Byzantine jurisdiction of the Ravenna exarchate, but, after its collapse (739), they remained independent and governed by a Duke, called "Doge". Venice was geographically in an enviable position, intermediary between East and West, and found its reason for living in commerce, knowing how to defend its freedom in an extraordinary way for centuries. From the fifteenth century two powerful enemies appeared on the horizon: the Turks on one side and the Austro-Hungarians on the other. </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Furthermore, a fatal blow was dealt to the venetian economy by the opening of the Atlantic to traffic, the discovery of America and the relocation of shopping centers. Despite the skill of its enemies, Venice always triumphed in trade and generated the best artists, always remaining a center where the Libertas allowed the debate between the most disparate philosophical, social and religious ideas. With the Treaty of Campoformio, in 1797, Napoleon ceded the secular independence of the Serenissima to Austria and, in 1866, Venice became part of the Kingdom of Italy. The emblem of the city is the Winged Lion, symbol and qualifying attribute of the Evangelist that the Venetians wanted as their great patron: Saint Mark.</span></span></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>