A year of madness

End December 1966, a team of over ten craftsmen was finally reunited and industrial workshops of Murano agreed to rent a large oven meeting pieces giant dimensions.

A work plan spread over six months was planned by the team.

But it was not counting on the perfectionism of Max Ernst, which often required the presentation of several studies before giving its production agreement.

Max Ernst followed the realisation with passion.

As best proof of his satisfaction, even though the chess game was in production, he proudly placed prototypes of the queen and the king right next to his armchair.

Realisation difficulties proved to be far more complex than what Costantini and his team had planned.

Never such masses of glass had been carved and many unknown problems appeared during production, requiring a permanent technical creativity: manufacturing giant canes to support the molten masses, metal templates to keep forms, ventilation system tailored to accompany the cooling…

A lot of incidents delayed production, as an incredible number of cracks and fractures of the masses, many subsidences caused by the weight of the pieces carved hot…
Several craftsmen were victims of serious burns during the formatting by hand and the towel but even worse, Costantini, exhausted, had to be hospitalized for a week.

Finally, in December 1967, a year after the start of its realisation, the chess board was presented to Max Ernst.

Witnesses told that at its vision, the artist remained as hypnotised for several minutes, his eagle eyes as fascinated by the realisation of his dream.

On his return to Seillans, he wrote the most beautiful testimony: The chess game became wonderful, ""immortel"", giving this so prestigious name to the work.