Guy
A Fixture
54-002
Roman Senior Officer, Teutoburg Forrest, 9AD
54mm white metal
Sculpted by Alan Ball
9 parts - optional 2nd head
Roman Senior Officer, Teutoburg Forrest, 9AD
54mm white metal
Sculpted by Alan Ball
9 parts - optional 2nd head
This is one of Thorsberg's older releases that came to my attention and was sculpted by the talented Alan Ball.
Historical Note:
Germanic tribes united under the leadership of the Cherusci chieftain Arminius rose in 9 AD against the Roman occupation force.
The insurrection began in with an ambush in the Teutoburg forest where Publius Quinctilius Varus suffered the complete annihilation of his whole provincial army of some three legions together with auxiliaries and baggage train.
The higher echelon of the Roman army at this time was not made up of professional soldiers, but of members of the Roman nobility for whom the military service was just a step in their political careers.
Our figure portrays an officer of the Senatorial Class (ordo senatorius) indicated by broad purple stripes on the tunic and also by the distinctive footwear (calcei senatorii). It can therefore depict either a Legion's Commander (legatus legionis) distinguishable by the crimson general's cloak (paludumentum), a Senior Tribune (tribunus laticlavius) as his second in command or a cavalry commander (praefectus alae miliariae). In order to portray the Provincial Governor (legatus provinciae) Varus, the bare head included in the kit can be used. The likeness of Varus is sculpted after a depiction of his head on a coin minted under his governorship in the province Africa.
Our senior officer is shown here in the typical Hellenistic officers' armour as depicted on several contemporary statues, consisting of a short muscled cuirass with a sash and pteruges (linen or leather strips), designed for riding on horseback. With this he wears a gilt Pseudo-Corinthian helmet like the one found in Autun, France. He is armed with a short sword (gladius) of the Mainz-type with silver-plated hilt after a find from Rheingönheim, Germany. The decorated scabbard is copied from an original found in the River Rhine.
Historical Note:
Germanic tribes united under the leadership of the Cherusci chieftain Arminius rose in 9 AD against the Roman occupation force.
The insurrection began in with an ambush in the Teutoburg forest where Publius Quinctilius Varus suffered the complete annihilation of his whole provincial army of some three legions together with auxiliaries and baggage train.
The higher echelon of the Roman army at this time was not made up of professional soldiers, but of members of the Roman nobility for whom the military service was just a step in their political careers.
Our figure portrays an officer of the Senatorial Class (ordo senatorius) indicated by broad purple stripes on the tunic and also by the distinctive footwear (calcei senatorii). It can therefore depict either a Legion's Commander (legatus legionis) distinguishable by the crimson general's cloak (paludumentum), a Senior Tribune (tribunus laticlavius) as his second in command or a cavalry commander (praefectus alae miliariae). In order to portray the Provincial Governor (legatus provinciae) Varus, the bare head included in the kit can be used. The likeness of Varus is sculpted after a depiction of his head on a coin minted under his governorship in the province Africa.
Our senior officer is shown here in the typical Hellenistic officers' armour as depicted on several contemporary statues, consisting of a short muscled cuirass with a sash and pteruges (linen or leather strips), designed for riding on horseback. With this he wears a gilt Pseudo-Corinthian helmet like the one found in Autun, France. He is armed with a short sword (gladius) of the Mainz-type with silver-plated hilt after a find from Rheingönheim, Germany. The decorated scabbard is copied from an original found in the River Rhine.
This figure comes in Thorsberg's sturdy white cardboard box with all parts sandwiched between layers of foam for protection during shipping. All small parts are sealed in a plastic bag to prevent loss. The kit is comprised of 9 white metal parts including an optional head.
Above you see all the parts out of the box and the plastic bag. At the top is a name plate which can be painted and attached to the front of a wooden base.
Above you see the two optional heads, one bare headed and the other with a helmet.
Above you see the front and rear of the torso with the bottom photo showing a close-up of the detail on the front.
Above you see the front and rear of the separately cast cape which dry-fits tightly around the back at the top of the shoulder area.
[ continued in next posting ]
