Exceptional Robin's Egg Blue Parcheesi Gameboard

Circa 1880s: Measuring 16 3/8" x 16 5/8", this wonderfully dynamic 6 color paint decorated walnut Parcheesi board with a rare robin's egg blue ground features a very unusual inset home square and a mitered walnut frame that extends above the board's playing surface, making the game itself a three-dimensional sculptural object. The board is constructed of two layers of walnut (the top layer having its center removed) fastened together with hand-cut square nails. Additionally, the frame is put together with square brads, and the board is secured to its frame with more square brads. This baby isn't going anywhere! The board itself is beautifully decorated in a polychromatic paint scheme with a multitude of Victorian flourishes, the middle column of each avenue containing the word home and the cental medallion labeled with the initials E B, possibly an Egan Bachman of Bachmanville, Pennsylvania, an unicorporated burg in Dauphin County. Note, too, that the gameboard's maker chose to apply a thin coat of varnish over the surface, purposefully leaving the home square untouched and giving it a brighter finish. Over the years, some off the varnish has worn away naturaly from game play, and the marroon primier coat is visible as well. The surface is dry and untouched with proper crazing and the beautiful use history that helps elevate this amazingly subtle and complex Parcheesi board a top notch example of 19th century American folk art.