Daved is a genius artist from Santa Barbara, California. I met him in 1986 shortly after he started on this magnificent chess set. The descriptions of the pieces are Daved's from letters we have exchanged over the years. The final pieces were completed in 1997. My set is one of a few complete sets in the 11-60 range although they are not all matching numbers. I will quote here information Daved wrote on the set in 1999:

It has taken me 12 years to sculpt a chess set unlike any done before in history. From the 12,000 books and major treatises on the Arthurian Cycle I have 250 books from which I have researched all the personalities, costumes and details. From the 300 characters in the Cycle I have chosen the 32 which have the most adventures with each other to portray the cultural clash between the Christians and the Druids: Arthur and Guinevere and their retinue vs Mordred and Morgause and their retinue.

These sculptures are cast in Bronze, Copper, Brass, and Aluminum in a limited edition of 100. With proper care this unique chess set will last a thousand years.

There are no complete chess sets from 11 to 60, but individual sculptures from these numbers are available. Arthur, Guinevere,Mordred,Morgause,Merlin, and Camelot solt out. The next available complete chess set is 64 for $25,000. In a few months I will put together a book explaining each character with photos of the sculptures as they developed during sculpting. In about a year I will also complete a 4' x 4' chess board whose borders will contain Druid and Christian reliefs depicting the story of King Arthur.

As you can see, this was written before the table was complete. As of 2004, Daved is selling sets for $40,000. He won't sell a complete set but will agree to produce a few pieces a month and deliver a set in increments. It takes him about 9 1/2 months to complete a set and table. There are now about 25 complete sets and Daved is tired of making them, no surprise here seeing how labor intensive these sculptures are. Daved has completed the book and sent me a manuscript but as of now, 11/04, has not published it. He is still looking for a publisher to print it the way he wants it.