80. Day, February 20, 2018


Now the small brass ring around the lance handle (made of solder!) is mounted and painted ...:



I think, later on, hardly anyone will notice him looking at the bust - but I, the detail fetishist, would be bothered if he were not there ...



And now we come to the next detail of our Cossack - the famous "Nagaika" whip!

нагайка

The word "Nagaika", which today means "Cossack whip", derives from the original word "Nogaika", as in old times a whip was called, which was worn by riders of the Inner Asian tribe of Nogai.

Through the Russian vocal transliteration - "O" becomes "A" - the word "Nagaika" was born.

This is what such whips look like ...:






The handle is made of hardwood and about 40-45 cm long. The handle is wrapped in leather straps.

There is a noose on the handle that allows the whip to be worn on the wrist - usually on the punching hand.

At the lower part of the grip leather fringes are attached as ornaments and a kind of "fly swatter", which waws used like a modern riding crop, namely to drive the horse.

By means of an eyelet (made of leather or metal), the braided whip string is attached to the handle!

It is about 45 to 50 cm long and has at the bottom again a "fly swatter" or a bag.

The whip string can be attached with a small leather loop on the handle, then it is in everyday use not in the way!

Here a sketch of it...:




If we have a Close look at the Nagaika of this Caucasian Cossak...



...... then we notice that the whip cord is hanging down like a stick!

This is because Cossacks in the small leather bag at the bottom of the whip cord like to sew a lead ball - in the age of muzzle loaders usually a bullet!

Thus, the "Nagaika" from the pure whip to the - often deadly! - Melee weapon, because you could beat an opponent with it easily the skull!

As I said, the Nagaika was usually worn with a sling on the wrist ...:



Sometimes with "open" whip (dangerous for the wearer himself!) ...



... but usually with cord attached to the handle - as here ...:




The Nagaika and the flat saber blade were by the way tsarist times popular means against government unwanted protesters!

Unfortunately, this is also the case today - because after the Soviet era, there were only "folklore Cossacks" (they sang and danced for tourists!) - the Cossacks in Putin's Russia are slowly but surely regaining their role they had during the tsarist era:

As a riot control force!

In the run-up to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the state reintroduced a so-called "Cossack Register", as it did during the Tsar's time!

"Registered" Cossacks are in the civil service or have to be constantly available when the state calls - and do not need to pay any taxes.
Their range of tasks is similar to that of the US National Guard!

Register Cossacks have their own badge ...



... and a special cap cockade, which differs from the Army cockades, the one of the "Inner Troops" (which are under the Ministry of the Interior) and the Judiciary (prison staff, etc.) ...:



Left - that's meanwhile again as in the tsar time! - the cockade for enlisted men, in the middle for non-commissioned officers and on the right the officer's cockade.

And the state often calls the Cossacks, as in 2014 to Sochi, as seen in the next pictures. They then have no batons, like the police, but their Nagaikas ...:



And since then the Nagaika is again used against its own people ...:






These operations against their own people are a very, very dark spot on the history of the Cossacks. And it seems that more dirt will be added in the future ...

From 1905 the following episode is handed down.

Don Cossacks have had a mission in St. Petersburg to disperse a demonstration ...:



Now they have saddled, fed and soaked, repaired their equipment and bawled in the dormitory of their barracks.

The Uriadnik (NCO of the service) makes the rounds - and abruptly stops in front of the bed of an already older Cossack.

"Where did you get that, you devil?" he asks.

The Cossack replies: "The picture of the old man here? A student gave me that and said that it was his grandfather."

"And why is it hanging here ...?" The uriadnik wants to know.

"Well - I hung it up because I like it so much, such a dignified old man in the Sunday state with a white beard ..."

The Cossack had hung a photo of Karl Marx over his bed! The printed socialist slogans did not tell him anything, he could not read ...


My friend Heinz has made me a beautiful Nagaika ...:





I really wanted to have a cord tied to the handle, because there is no such Detail at any other Cossack figure!

And if unique, then right!

I just primed the Nagaika - tomorrow I will paint it ...:




Then it will look similar like this...




Cheers

81. Day, February 22, 2018


Here wo go, Kev - the wooden parts of the Nagaika are ready...:









Cheers

82. Day, February 23, 2018


Except of the whip-string, the Nagaika is ready!

In order to get as close as possible to the colors of the template, I had to mix quite extensively ...:




The two metal parts (pommel and eyelet) are made with black, "Oily Steel" and silver.

I did not paint the string, for there had to be something I could hold the tiny Nagaika ...:





I'll finish it next Monday.

Nice weekend to you all!


Cheers

Wow caught up again, very informative and great pics.
The painting is moving along very well too.

About 2,7 cm over all, Nap!


Cheers

83. Day, February 26, 2018


The little Nagaika whip is ready now!

To illustrate the typical pattern of braiding leather straps, I painted with these colors ...



... felt two million thin and thinnest strokes - always in V-shape and with new and slightly different color mixtures side by side and on top of each other until the effect I wanted and you see here ...:











Cheers

84, Day, February 27, 2018


Following the same principle as the whip-string and with the same colors ...



... I have just painted the braided loop with which our hero wears the Nagaika on his wrist ...:






Then I unpacked my oil paints ...



...and after this template...



... painted the leather straps for the saber.

The belt distributors and rivets were again made with Arcyls. The oil painting still shines like hell - just finished ...:






Cheers

Excellent and highly informative as usual.

Oda.

Thank you so much, mates!

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85. Day, February 28, 2018

The today's story I'll try to tell you only with pics...:



































Cheers

86. Day, March 1, 2018


Today comes the last detail of the beautiful Cossack bust - the saber!

Here we have it, the famous Cossack saber "Shashka" ...

Шашка

Under the Tsar Aleksandr III. in 1881 the Cossack saber became uniform - before that, every Cossack had worn what he liked.

The Shashka M 1881 looked like this ...:






Although the weapon was standardized by regulations, but since each Cossack was responsible for its own weapons and equipment (it then remained his property), it was possible that Cossacks with money and - especially - officers wore wonderfully worked and decorated sabers...:



The Shashka was a stable and at the same time light and balanced weapon, made primarily for slashing and less for stinging.

The blade had a length of 98 centimeters.



Unlike the sabers that were otherwise worn in the Russian army ...





...the Shashka did not have a crossguard or a guard for the fist ...:



The saber pommel had the form of an eagle head through the "eye" of the eagle was attached a leather fist strap ...



... which it's bearer could slip over the hand and thus prevent the loss of the weapon in combat.



The scabbard of Shashka was made of metal, covered with black leather ..:



The black color was supposed to prevent metallic sheen of the scabbard, which would have made the wearer of the weapon visible in the terrain at a long distance. The leather in turn prevented the clink of the weapon while riding!

The metal fittings were made of brass.


**continued next post**

At the top of the scabbart's mouthpiece was a kind of hook ...





... on which the front saber strap was hooked ...:



At the lower eyelet the rear - adjustable - saber strap was attached ...:




Here is a picture of Kusma Kryuchkov with his Shashka ...:




It can be said that the Russian army was completely fixed on sabers!

That was already expressed in the language:

For example, when describing the number of troops, they did not speak of "men" or "soldiers" but of 100,000 "bayonets" (infantrymen) and 40,000 "sabers" (cavalrymen).

This was the case even in official documents of the Minister of War!

The saber was even worn in the office for staff and desk work, as I've already mentioned elsewhere.

So it is not surprising that sabers were also given as awards - often in place of medals!

The most famous award for valor was the so-called "Saint George saber"!

At the golden handle a copy of the order was attached ...



... and instead of the leather fist strap there hung the black and orange ribbon of the "Saint George's Order" ...:





Here is a picture of a Cossack officer wearing such a "Saint George's Shashka" ...:



Those weapons were exclusive custom-made and instead of brass gold was used. Who owns something can be lucky - because these things have a sheer unbelievable value today!

Another award was the "Santa Anna Saber" for merit that had not been provided at the front or in combat but elsewhere.

Again, the handle wore a cross of the order of St. Anne and - instead of leather belts - the corresponding ribbon...:


Of course, all this applies only to "Steppe Cossacks" like our Don Cossack!

In the Caucasus, the Kuban and the Terek Cossacks wore a Caucasian variant of the Shashka, which looked distinctly different and was also more ornate - with silver fittings ...:

Of course, Caucasian Shashka's could be given as an award - here the "Saint George's variant" ...:

**continued next post**

My friend Heinz made a beautiful Shashka for our Don Cossack ...:



All I have to do is add the piece of the rear saber strap that is not attached to the torso!

For this I take again gold paper (for the belt) and solder (for the eyelet) - and in the construction I orientate myself to original parts ...:








The result:

The miniature Shashka hangs - as well as the original! - fully moveable on strap and eyelet ...:



Now I will prime the shashka and the two lance parts - and then I'll take them tomorrow with me to the tin figures Museum at Goslar ...

...where I'll take part at a painting Workshop over the Weekend.
Cheers