The town of Kholmogory, nearly 100 kilometers up the river from the port city of Arkhangel’sk, has been famous for its carvers. Craftsmen used the bones and tusks of walrus that had been brought to Arkhangel’sk, as well as fossilised mastodon ivory. During the 17th century, Kholmogory became one of the main centers of ivory carving in Russia, and the chess sets manufactured in the workshops there were of such distinct style that the name of the city became synomimous with this type of set, as the city of Dieppe in France gave its name to the type of ivory sets carved there. 

Typical example of a Kholmogory set below. It ususally represents the Russian army against an Eastern enemy, often Turkish. The Russian side is dressed all in white, and their costumes reflect ancient Roman clothing (first picture below). It has been suggested that this design occurred because Catherine II. (1729-96) outfitted her peronsal bodyguards to look like Roman guards. 

Source: Dean, Chess Masterpieces, 2010.