Very finely turned and carved set of Burmese chessmen, The King stands 3,25” (8cm) tall with a 1″ diameter base. The red stain is still very vibrant. The set was produced in Canton around 1820-1840 and most likely sold in Macao. The Type I Burmese Chessmen are characterized by the lack of a face carved on the headpieces of – the Kings, Queens or Bishops.

Type I Burmese chessmen tend to be the smallest, and the chessmen will have faceless headpieces. The Type II Chessmen will have a face carved on the bishops only and are normally found on Burmese sets with King heights around 4″. The Type III Chessmen will have a face carved on the Royal pieces (Kings, Queens and Bishops) and are normally found on Burmese sets with King heights over 4″. The Type IV Burmese chessmen are often referred to as Macao, with fully carved heads atop all the chessmen except the Rooks. These sets were made for the European Market and probably sold in Macao which was the only place in China where Europeans were allowed to visit prior to the Opium Wars of the 1840s.

Comparable set: https://chessantiques.com/product/antique-burmese-chessmen-type-1b/