Akritis Miniatures Varagian Guard

[Akritis]

www.akritisminiatures.gr
AKRITIS MINIATURES announces the new release is 75mm (1/24 scale)
Varagian Guard "Bolli Bolason"
more details in our site.
You can read more historical informations here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolli_Bollason
or at Raffaele D' Amato Osprey book "Varangian Guards

 

[arxo]

Good luck with this one, looks really great! And love the shield!

 

[Don]

Now that is a shield I could manage to paint. Very nice figure and a very unusual country for modelers, but they did produce some wonderful fighting men.

Don

 

[kagemusha]

Very nice piece, and like the shield and backdrop. Not my period but appreciate a great sculpt when I see one.

Ron

 

[Tecumsea]

I can see this being very popular,

Keith

 

[Gaudin]

And this beautiful shield is based on what references exactly?

 

[Akritis]

The main reference is Osprey Book "The Varagian Guard" Men at Arms 459,by Raffaele D'Amato .
Raffaele is my friend and he is a Master when he have make a book about Byzantine _Roman Reriod.
I have worked with him in some projects about miniatures in the past and i like the way that he works, when he makes a research.
The costume of the centurion represented in a mosaic (1040) and in the description of Boli Bollason in Laxdaela Saga , whice describes him returning to Scandinavia from Constantinopole in 1030. (Dark Red velvet cloths and a round red sheild with a cold warrior up on it....pesents from the Roman Emperor of Constantinopole)

 

[Gaudin]

The main reference is Osprey Book "The Varagian Guard" Men at Arms 459
and in the description of Boli Bollason in Laxdaela Saga

So the shield is based just on artist's impression from Osprey page 26 and not on any artefacts? I am just curious as as I would like to learn more, Byzantium is of interest to me lately.

What I could find on Boli is (obviously translations may differ and I wont be looking at original) :
"He had on the clothes of fur which the Garth-king had given him, he had over all a scarlet cape; and he had Footbiter girt on him, the hilt of which was dight with gold, and the grip woven with gold, he had a gilded helmet on his head, and a red shield on his flank, with a knight painted on it in gold."

Even in Osprey it looks more like its painted, not embossed (never mind that its a stretch from a knight to St. Georg and a dragon, but hey, artistic license and all that).
Brilliant figure, but is there a need to invent fantasy shields?

 

[gregmarm]

very special figure george!!!!shield is amazing!!!!gregory

 

[Helm]

It's a beaut lovely figure, not sure re the shield but I would imagine back then they could emboss leather so it's not impossible a parade shield could look like that.

Steve

 

[Johan Kees]

I hope I will not be lynched for it, but while overal this could be a magnificent subject and figure, going by the photos I notice some areas that just need a bit more care.

Going from the bottom upwards, first of all the shoes are hardly more than a lump of metal/resin and way below currents standards. Also these look terribly small compared with the overall size of the figure.
Then the lower part of the trousers: no folding at all. Even with the pipes of the trousers just hanging down, there would be some 'swing' in it.
A bit higher up the fingers of the right hand holding the axe are pretty rudimentary too. And more importantly to me it looks as if the first part of the fingers are amputated.
Finally the shield then. While the sculptor tried his best with the design, scalewise the embossing is greatly oversized. Also, because the design running around the rim of the shield is duplicated on the inside, in fact this is no embossing at all. So in real life the pattern would have been welded on adding to the weight of the shield.

Again, my observations are based on the added pics and maybe in real life all looks much better. If so then I gladly will admit that I am wrong and apologize.

Jhan

 

[Akritis]

Unfortunately it was difficult to find truly objective (2000 years old) from that period. So that we have
to associate them with the person.
I must be content with descriptions, artwork and archaeological discoveries of the time. Obviously shields o that type have found (parts because wood is worn by time), that there is covered with embossed gilt decoration and relief Metal, both from ancient times and in recent times, as depicted here. Now whether it was war or parade shield is secondary, in my opinion. The fact is that such objects existed, and it is logical to wear it situated in the palace of the Emperor.

 

[Mirofsoft]

Nice piece
and like to paint it as on the left above illustration here above
and if needed I would call hime " Close Guard Commander of Archimedron of Caracolopolis" and enter it in Fantasy
Best

 

[Einion]

 

[Michael Kontraros]

Nice figure...you keep getting better and better!
Can't wait to see it painted!

 

[Babelfish]

View attachment 107746 View attachment 107742View attachment 107743
I must be content with descriptions, artwork and archaeological discoveries of the time. Obviously shields o that type have found (parts because wood is worn by time), that there is covered with embossed gilt decoration and relief Metal, both from ancient times and in recent times, as depicted here. Now whether it was war or parade shield is secondary, in my opinion. The fact is that such objects existed, and it is logical to wear it situated in the palace of the Emperor.

Well said!

It's easy to get all po-faced and anal about "historical accuracy". But the further back in time we go, the more pointlesss it becomes because the more gaps there are in the historical record.

All we can do is go by what we have, and fill in the blanks as best we can. So apart from obvious anachronisms, most of the time we have a pretty broad canvas because who's to say that vikings (or whoever) never carried this or that shape shield or that no Roman legionary (or whoever) would ever have worn (for example) a blue cape? Because the bottom line is that we just don't know.

No-one is going to die if we "get it wrong". It's just a hobby. So let's enjoy the lovely figures that are being brought to us by some immensely talented sculptors, chuck some paint at 'em and have fun!!

- Steve

 

[Gaudin]

Well said!

It's easy to get all po-faced and anal about "historical accuracy2

Like I said earlier- I am curious and want to learn more.
I dont expect a PHD level research for every figure.
But also I doubt that inventing stuff just because it looks cool or thats what it could have looked ( because it would be cool if it did) is good either.

Everyone sets a bar for themselves. I am curious what Raffaele D'Amato got to say about the figure, cause reallistically he is the one to ask.


PS the argument reminds me of an old stupid joke about Istraeli Palestinian conflict:
Evidence of copper wires in Israelite ancient digs proves that they were so advanced that they may have had telegraph connections in ancient times.
the fact that there wasnt ever any evidence of copper wire found in any ancient archeological digs in palestina proves that ancient palestinians were much more advanced than Israelites- becase they already had wireless Wifi

 

[Babelfish]

Like I said earlier- I am curious and want to learn more.

Nothing wrong with that.

I dont expect a PHD level research for every figure.

Why not? If "historical accuracy" is your thing.

But also I doubt that inventing stuff just because it looks cool or thats what it could have looked ( because it would be cool if it did) is good either.

Again - why not? If there is a gap in the record, then we're down to artistic licence and/or educated guesswork to fill in the gaps. And I don't know about you but I'll take "cool / interesting" over "humdrum / tedious" every time. But that's just me .

PS the argument reminds me of an old stupid joke about Istraeli Palestinian conflict:
Evidence of copper wires in Israelite ancient digs proves that they were so advanced that they may have had telegraph connections in ancient times.
the fact that there wasnt ever any evidence of copper wire found in any ancient archeological digs in palestina proves that ancient palestinians were much more advanced than Israelites- becase they already had wireless Wifi

You said it: Stupid joke (and a poor comparison).

- Steve

 

[Gaudin]

Steve, you seem to have got an impression that I am attacking the sculptor/ sculpture,
where its far from the case - I am asking questions that interest me. I dont see anything there that you personally need to get embroiled to defend, but thats just a view.

There is also no point in breaking lances yet again over a well worn subject so I will not bait into that.
I will however continue to ask these questions - its up to individuals to choose to answer.
When I am going to buy this figure - I would be scraping the embossing and choose to handpaint ( as so far that fits my idea of how the figure should be, based on what I seen) but I still asked question to fill the gaps in my knowledge. Historical doesnt equal boring in my map.

Akritis- I am sorry for flooding your thread. Good mini - regardless, wish you every success with it.

 

[Babelfish]

When I am going to buy this figure - I would be scraping the embossing and choose to handpaint ( as so far that fits my idea of how the figure should be, based on what I seen)

Your money, your figure - scrape away!

Historical doesnt equal boring in my map.

Nor did I say that it does.

Akritis- I am sorry for flooding your thread. Good mini - regardless, wish you every success with it.

I second that. It's a nice-looking piece.

- Steve