Painted Checkerboard in Black and Green Shades

On offer is this sweet, American, antique, 19th-century painted checkerboard in black and shades of green. Given the specificity of layout and decoration, I think it’s safe to say that it was made by a professional. That said, the extra kick comes from that painter’s miscalculated paint mixture and the resulting degree of contraction in the bright green squares of the playing field… it’s so consistent and appealing it looks as though it were intentional.

All of the colors on this checkerboard seem to show an equal shift toward yellow. This would lead one to believe that the greenish cast of the dark ground and yellow cast of boundary lines and borders is actually the result of a yellowed varnish.

Constructed of a single thin walnut board with two walnut stretchers (one of which is marked “VII”) attached with brass screws.

Entirety of the back is stained black.

Wired for hanging.