Sunday, June 27, 2010

early XVIII century hussar


salve,
finally finishing my today's outpouring  the early XVIII century 'winged'  hussar  wearing a 'karacena'  armor (perhaps inspired by Trajan's column images of Sarmatian warriors fighting Romans) and a turbaned karacena (  karacena from Polish Army Museum ) helmet (in Polish history the period of  Sarmatism  and continuing 'romance' with the culture of  Ottoman Empire and Safavid  Persian) TrajanColumn_-_Cichorius_Plates

4 comments:

  1. Dario, is there any original source (from 18th century) that You used for inspiration of that work?

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  2. czolem,
    I am in Poland for the Klushino event in Warsaw, so will attend to your question next week - perhaps see you there?

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  3. Sadly there is no chance I can travel to Poland now so I will wait for Your answer in next week.
    Have fun on event!

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  4. czolem,
    returning to this subject of sources and inspiration -
    I used several surviving karacena armor examples to dress this nobleman.
    I found them in the Zygulski jr book on Hussaria and Zbigniew Bocheński study of karacena, i.e., turbaned helmet, chest piece -cuirass, gorget, pauldrons, although I moved the cross from left side to the right side of the cuirass. He wears gloves and has mail arms protection instead of karwasze.
    His kopia is in the Bochenski study (of kopia) tradition - gilded and painted with feathers, carried in a leather case that in this drawing broke off and hence this little commotion (it lays at horse's feet) and horse nervousness.
    Koncerz or tuck, under his right thigh, is of a Turkish kind, in a fashion of Vienna booty.
    Horse tack - saddle, mostly invisible but for the horn, it is of a later hussar type (if those saddles can be called such), similar to those at the Polish Army Museum (PAM) or Czartoryski Collection. Stirrups are a flat kind I saw at the PAM, a half-moon piece at the horse's throat or 'halzbant'/alzbant is a generic one found in the museum collections. Breastplate of the same kind, while the great shabraque (czaprak wielki) is present on many paintings of the late hussar era. I decided to put the wild cat pelt under the saddle , in a fashion of the XVII century, perhaps a little anachronism here. The neck covering or rather crest and poll covering net was typical of the era, with ostrich feathers completing the bridle outfit, double reins with a curb-bit - in a French fashion, already strong in Poland at that time. Horse's tail is tied in a knot in a Polish fashion, visible on some prints from 1670s from Sweden -the famous Certamen equestre.
    Shorter boots in a fashion of the XVIII century, long zhupan (zupan) with its front skirts (poly) tucked into his sabre bearing belt, while his legs are encased in 'puffed' pants made after the post-Vienna 1683 ( Turkish) fashion, and already the part of the nation's 'Sarmatian' costume at this time.
    I guess I would have to show some iconography to back my list, perhaps then I will post this image with some of them later on this year.

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