One of the (benevolent) commentary on the corresponding thread on Lilliput points out about the gothic character of the Renaissance Knight.
For those which are interested, such look is what inspires some of the historical figures of the parade performed just before the famous horse running of Siena, Il Palio.
The first picture was taken from the web, while the one above comes from the book "Palio, la corsa dell'anima", by Mauro Civai and Enrico Toti, Edizioni Alsaba, Siena 2000 (ISBN 88-85331-23-8), one of the best photographic books about Il Palio. More books about the Palio here.
Luca

I really like that Bessieres but I expect the price will put me off. Putty is cheaper.

Colin

Found this while looking through Pegaso's website looking for pictures of different figures. Not sure why it wasn't in the "New" section but I'm deffinately getting this one. How can I ever get to those Civil War figures I want to do when they keep releasing theses beauties? :lol:

Chasseur of the Imperial Guard, 1812-15
Sculptor: Maurizio Bruno
Painter: Danilo Cartacci
54mm Metal



Click here.

It's advertised for the periods 1812-1815. Now, I've been digging through my references and most of the uniforms I find like this are from 1804-1810. At least the field uniforms. More specifically, during the campaigns of 1806-1807. This uniform was worn throughout the First Empire, but I just wanted the readers to know, it doesn't have to be set in the "usual" Napoleonic (1812-1815) period. I for one will buy this figure!

Enjoy,
Jim Patrick

That renaissance figure is yummy, what a great sculpt

Wonderful work by Konnov on the samurai too... in contrast to the 54!

Einion

Jim i received an e-mail from Pegaso saying that Chasseur of the Imperial Guard, 1812-15, won't be released till September. They accidentally posted that figure in August releases. But as you said.... i will defenately getthing this one. You said that this uniform was worn during 1804-1810?

A friend of mine has pointed me out about that figure. There are some frescos of Piero della Francesca and some drawings in polychrome marble on the floor of the Duomo di Siena Chatedral where are represented such knights with the "Eroica" armour, used starting from 1300 in Italy, Byzantium and Germany. Not only a parade armour, but especially used by the most rich and proud Noblemen and Capitani di Ventura.
Luca

Considering the price of these miniatures etc, perhaps it would be beneficial to all afficionados and miniature art hobbists if these 'historical' figures, once released by a respective producing company, would have on that manufaturer' websites some additional info about the sources used by the sculptors and painters for the particular sculpture and other useful info - eg. links to artworks depicting etc. After all the hobby is fast becoming expensive...
In my opinion this otherwise beautiful and amazing sculpture, Pegaso's Renaisance knight of the 15th century, as portrayed here belongs to the masquerade or some other Carnival parade of the 16th century or later (could be 2005) rather than the 15th century armouries (where cosumes could have been made out of wood, paper, leather etc and natuarally quite beautiful.
In fact, this type of 'antique-ed' armour (alla romana or all'antica) developed in the 16th century by some amzingly skilled and tallented Italian master-armourers (NY Metropolitan Museum of Art some 7 years ago had an exibit on these decorative armours and there is a book: Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance Filippo Negroli and His Contemporaries, by Stuart W. Pyhrr and José-A. Godoy, with essays and a compilation of documents by Silvio Leydi, 1998. I saw the exibit and remember that the armor was blacked and blued, with gold and silver etc ornamentation).
MET website - http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rarm/hd_rarm.htm and the infor from there - 'During the Renaissance, some of the most sumptuous swords, maces, firearms, shields, and armor were made specifically for ceremonial purposes. Such armor was sometimes referred to as armor all'antica or alla romana. These objects were intended to imitate arms and armor of the style used by the heroes of classical antiquity and medieval chivalry. Worn or carried in processions or at court, they were designed to bestow upon the wearer the glory and fame, virtues and achievements of those antique military leaders, who Renaissance princes and commanders sought to emulate. Since these accoutrements were not intended to face the risk of damage or loss in battle, many of the functional and protective qualities of "normal" arms and armor—lightness, practicality, and the "glancing surface"—had been abandoned in favor of theatrical and symbolical effect.'

and some on Negroli - from the same site -In Italy, between about 1530 and 1560, embossed armor (17.190.1720) reached its artistic peak with works by the famous Italian workshop of Filippo Negroli of Milan. Together with his brothers and a cousin, he produced parade armor in the all'antica style for the most illustrious clientele of European nobility, exquisitely embossed with figural and floral decoration, and often etched and gilded, or damascened and encrusted with gold and silver. Shields for ceremonial use were made either from wood and painted with elaborate mythological or historical scenes (42.50.16), or—when made of metal—embossed and decorated (34.85) in the same style as the armor they accompanied. The high standards set by the Negroli workshop were emulated (though never quite reached again) until the very end of the sixteenth century, with ceremonial armor for man and horse continuing to be decorated in the all'antica style (39.121; 04.3.217; 22.140).


Additionally, very few real suites of armor of this type surived -less then a dozen - and they do look very different from this costume.
Additional book:
Hayward, John F. "The Revival of Roman Armour in the Renaissance". In Art, Arms, and Armour: An International Anthology, vol. 1: 1979-80 pp. 144-163.

Some references on the net: -http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_16c_armour.html
http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=520
http://www.karlofgermany.com/lmaster.htm
http://www.artnet.com/magazine_pre2000/fea...ern11-17-98.asp

I hope the content of this post is not taken out of its context - as I firmly believe that this miniature is very lovely and definitely, once painted, a gem in anyone's collection of miniature sculptures. And you can call it any name you want - after all a name is but a name . But a bit of knowledge never hurt anyone .
Dario

Hi Dario,
interesting notes, but for what I know, aside the wooden, paper, leather, etc. version used for parades, the metal/iron version was also used in the battlefield. What the MET description is missing is that such kind of armours was also used by real (flesh and blood) Capitani di Ventura, and not only Princes who "sought to emulate antique military leaders". Moreover, most of the work of Negroli, which was taking advantage of the decay of the Missaglia (another family of 'armaiuoli') was just with metal.

As example, the armours showed during the parade preceeding the Palio are made by metal, using the original (renaissance) design as source.

Just to add another reference, there is also the famous bust of Cosimo de Medici, sculpted by Benvenuto Cellini in 1548, portraying the prince with an alla romana armour. The bust is located on the Museo Nazionale del Bargello (Firenze).

Luca

Knight and Samurai are on top of my list !!!! Magnificent figures