Barleycorn chess set

Barleycorn chess sets were very popular in England in the first half of the 19th century, so much so that they were carved not only from noble ivory, but also from ordinary cattle bones. Although such bones, unlike the elephant's, are not suitable for fine crafting, they do allow manufacturing good pieces with all key characteristic traits. The set's name stems from the fact that its pieces contain elements resembling grains of barley, while the king and queen are ornamented with barley heads or leaves