Dear collegues, this is one of my last creation.
The realization of this subject in 75mm, a “Gaesatus”, is not a kit, but is obtained with many parts of different figures and built accessories and weapons.
My way of work is this: initially I think and study the subject to carry out, I look for primary sources (reliefs, statues, mosaics, archaeological reports, ancient writings, etc.) and alone after I have clear ideas about the figure I want achieve I start my work!
I don’t built a figure and after I decide what soldier can be he is!
This is the explicative summary of “GAESATUS, 3rd Cent. b.Chr., NorthItaly”
Primary sources: so-called statue “Dying Gaul” (Musei Capitolini, Roma, Osprey MAA 158 pag. 24 ), little bronze statue (Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Osprey MAA 158 pag. 10), funerary reports (Osprey MAA 158 page 8), Latin writer Polibius ”Historiae lib. II 22,31”.
Secondary sources: Osprey MAA 158 fig 1 table B, Osprey Warrior 30 table B, “The armies and enemies of Imperial Rome”, Wargames research Group.
The name appears to derive from “gaesum” the characteristic javelin they used, but Polibius says “Gaisatai had a population of Celt strain who lived beyond the Alps, ... and their name derives from the fact that "military for hire."
“The Gaisatai, very bold and eager for glory, cast every other garment, prepared before the army, naked with the weapons, so we should be freer of the other movements, because the place was strewn with thorns that would otherwise be caught in garments and made it difficult for weapons handling” and "Terrible were also the 'look and movements of naked men lined up before the others, all in full force and effect of beautiful appearance. The soldiers in the front ranks were adorned with golden necklaces and bracelets: to see them, the Romans on the one hand but were frightened by the other driven by the hope of booty, were doubly incited to battle. "As soon as the Roman archers began to shoot their darts, the Gaisatai were slain without mercy:"
... Lined up behind the Celts were very useful cloaks and breeches: men naked in the front row is also in serious difficulty and embarrassment. The shield of the Gauls, in fact, does not cover the whole body of warriors, so the more powerful were the naked bodies of the combatants, the greater was the likelihood that the arrows hit their mark." Boldness of Gaisatai then was so broken by the archers. "In the fighting killed about forty thousand Gauls and the Romans, after ten thousand prisoners, attacked the territory of the Boii, returning to Rome the insignia of the enemy and' jewellery 's gold Gauls necks."
Some firns have proposed similar figures in varied scales, generally called “Naked celtic warrior” (i.e. The Time Machine TMP06 54mm, Decima D/001 90mm and J&J 70/16 75mm); all this subjects are men with equipment rather poorly and for this reason I want carry out a subject with richly dress up in his look like Polibius writes.
Whether wonderful marble roman copy of “Dying Gaul” (the bronze original statue was part of the group on Pergamene’s Mausoleum ) than the little bronze statue (from Roma from 3rd Cent. b.C.) are naked warriors like Polibius writes.
Both warriors wear at neck a massive torquis and the bronze figure - missing of weapons and shield - maybe was a chieftain, whit a sumptuosus “horned” helmet. Long typical moustaches and as much typical “thorned” hair style (obtained to paste water and gypsum - or water and cinder of beech) of “Dying Gaul” are spectacular!
This “mane” makes horrible this high and brawny warriors!
Ancient reports (polychrome mosaics, statues, mural paints, and so on, even if today ruined) are still richly detailed, although are definite in an Italian forum “rough sculptured stones by fanciful provincial stonecutters”!
The custom to naked fight had religious reason, with request of divine help.
Realization
This subject is assembled by: Bust and arms: German warrior (Sovereign SMF/34); Legs: Hoplite 9/1 (Miniatures 77, Stage Nine - Greeks 500-300 b.Chr.); Head and shield: Celtic warrior (J&J 70/16); Sword, accessories and equipment: built.
After the reconstitution the anatomy of figure (neck and pelvis to the bust), I built the belt and hanging and the shoulder belt with copper plate and tin yarn: torquis, necklaces and bracelets are of Magic Sculpt and interlaced electric yarn, and on the torquis are applied two little faces of Historex accessories. I armed my figure with long swords type LaTène (photo page 21 Osprey MAA 158), but I could to arm him too with a short curved sword (from a funerary tomb in Romania of 3rd Cent. b.Chr., Osprey MAA 158 page 8); sword, dagger on shoulder belt and “flamed shaped” blades of javelins (always Osprey MAA 158 page 23) are built in lead plate and Magic Sculpt, while the shield is from J&J 70/16.
We see many figures whit fanciful painted shields with green and yellow colours but some polychrome terracottas in Metropolitan Museum show red, blue, white and violet! in varied combinations; Plutarch says Cimbrians’s shields in bright white and so Phil Barker says (“The armies and enemies of Imperial Rome” page 114):” Nothing is known of the actual colours in which Celtic shields were painted, except they were bright and probably favoured reds and blues.”; no evidences, ancient or modern, of yellow and green!
Finally, regarding the painting of the shields, the painters of soldiers join them on real masterpieces of symmetry to ... microns! We must remember that, in ancient times and especially in the so-called "barbarian" world, the shields - not mass-produced in factories like the state of Rome - were decorated by the owners, and not all were Leonardo and Goya!! Which is why, quite deliberately, shield designs have been reproduced asymmetric and irregular.
The paint of jewels is in gold and the pendants of a necklace in yellow-orange for precious amber!
Near the man, on ground, are visible two golden and a silver cups and a “bucchero” vase, all war’s booty.
The realization of this subject in 75mm, a “Gaesatus”, is not a kit, but is obtained with many parts of different figures and built accessories and weapons.
My way of work is this: initially I think and study the subject to carry out, I look for primary sources (reliefs, statues, mosaics, archaeological reports, ancient writings, etc.) and alone after I have clear ideas about the figure I want achieve I start my work!
I don’t built a figure and after I decide what soldier can be he is!
This is the explicative summary of “GAESATUS, 3rd Cent. b.Chr., NorthItaly”
Primary sources: so-called statue “Dying Gaul” (Musei Capitolini, Roma, Osprey MAA 158 pag. 24 ), little bronze statue (Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Osprey MAA 158 pag. 10), funerary reports (Osprey MAA 158 page 8), Latin writer Polibius ”Historiae lib. II 22,31”.
Secondary sources: Osprey MAA 158 fig 1 table B, Osprey Warrior 30 table B, “The armies and enemies of Imperial Rome”, Wargames research Group.
The name appears to derive from “gaesum” the characteristic javelin they used, but Polibius says “Gaisatai had a population of Celt strain who lived beyond the Alps, ... and their name derives from the fact that "military for hire."
“The Gaisatai, very bold and eager for glory, cast every other garment, prepared before the army, naked with the weapons, so we should be freer of the other movements, because the place was strewn with thorns that would otherwise be caught in garments and made it difficult for weapons handling” and "Terrible were also the 'look and movements of naked men lined up before the others, all in full force and effect of beautiful appearance. The soldiers in the front ranks were adorned with golden necklaces and bracelets: to see them, the Romans on the one hand but were frightened by the other driven by the hope of booty, were doubly incited to battle. "As soon as the Roman archers began to shoot their darts, the Gaisatai were slain without mercy:"
... Lined up behind the Celts were very useful cloaks and breeches: men naked in the front row is also in serious difficulty and embarrassment. The shield of the Gauls, in fact, does not cover the whole body of warriors, so the more powerful were the naked bodies of the combatants, the greater was the likelihood that the arrows hit their mark." Boldness of Gaisatai then was so broken by the archers. "In the fighting killed about forty thousand Gauls and the Romans, after ten thousand prisoners, attacked the territory of the Boii, returning to Rome the insignia of the enemy and' jewellery 's gold Gauls necks."
Some firns have proposed similar figures in varied scales, generally called “Naked celtic warrior” (i.e. The Time Machine TMP06 54mm, Decima D/001 90mm and J&J 70/16 75mm); all this subjects are men with equipment rather poorly and for this reason I want carry out a subject with richly dress up in his look like Polibius writes.
Whether wonderful marble roman copy of “Dying Gaul” (the bronze original statue was part of the group on Pergamene’s Mausoleum ) than the little bronze statue (from Roma from 3rd Cent. b.C.) are naked warriors like Polibius writes.
Both warriors wear at neck a massive torquis and the bronze figure - missing of weapons and shield - maybe was a chieftain, whit a sumptuosus “horned” helmet. Long typical moustaches and as much typical “thorned” hair style (obtained to paste water and gypsum - or water and cinder of beech) of “Dying Gaul” are spectacular!
This “mane” makes horrible this high and brawny warriors!
Ancient reports (polychrome mosaics, statues, mural paints, and so on, even if today ruined) are still richly detailed, although are definite in an Italian forum “rough sculptured stones by fanciful provincial stonecutters”!
The custom to naked fight had religious reason, with request of divine help.
Realization
This subject is assembled by: Bust and arms: German warrior (Sovereign SMF/34); Legs: Hoplite 9/1 (Miniatures 77, Stage Nine - Greeks 500-300 b.Chr.); Head and shield: Celtic warrior (J&J 70/16); Sword, accessories and equipment: built.
After the reconstitution the anatomy of figure (neck and pelvis to the bust), I built the belt and hanging and the shoulder belt with copper plate and tin yarn: torquis, necklaces and bracelets are of Magic Sculpt and interlaced electric yarn, and on the torquis are applied two little faces of Historex accessories. I armed my figure with long swords type LaTène (photo page 21 Osprey MAA 158), but I could to arm him too with a short curved sword (from a funerary tomb in Romania of 3rd Cent. b.Chr., Osprey MAA 158 page 8); sword, dagger on shoulder belt and “flamed shaped” blades of javelins (always Osprey MAA 158 page 23) are built in lead plate and Magic Sculpt, while the shield is from J&J 70/16.
We see many figures whit fanciful painted shields with green and yellow colours but some polychrome terracottas in Metropolitan Museum show red, blue, white and violet! in varied combinations; Plutarch says Cimbrians’s shields in bright white and so Phil Barker says (“The armies and enemies of Imperial Rome” page 114):” Nothing is known of the actual colours in which Celtic shields were painted, except they were bright and probably favoured reds and blues.”; no evidences, ancient or modern, of yellow and green!
Finally, regarding the painting of the shields, the painters of soldiers join them on real masterpieces of symmetry to ... microns! We must remember that, in ancient times and especially in the so-called "barbarian" world, the shields - not mass-produced in factories like the state of Rome - were decorated by the owners, and not all were Leonardo and Goya!! Which is why, quite deliberately, shield designs have been reproduced asymmetric and irregular.
The paint of jewels is in gold and the pendants of a necklace in yellow-orange for precious amber!
Near the man, on ground, are visible two golden and a silver cups and a “bucchero” vase, all war’s booty.
