This was done as a request for a wargamer painting a battalion of Eureka Arquebusiers de Grassins and even though it's not strictly a SYW uniform I thought others might like it. I find it visually a rather strange and somewhat unsatisfying uniform, with its hussar mirliton and fur edged coat. If anyone has a detailed picture of the inscription on the brass plate on the mirliton, I'd like to see it, please, so I can improve the detail; I had to work from a rather small image to do this initial version. Some illustrations show buttons on the left side of the coat, some do not; some also show a side pocket but again many do not. If anyone has definitive evidence on these features, I would be pleased to know of it. Until then, I've left them off the template, although I know the Eureka figure has both.
Raised in 1744, the Arquebusiers were incorporated into the Volontaires de Flandres in 1749. Initially it was a large unit, with 900 fusiliers, 100 grenadiers and 300 cavalry. The coat was blue with a white fur edging; cuffs black also with white fur; red collar and waistcoat; brass buttons; blue breeches; grey (or black) gaiters; red hussar cap edged blue, with a brass plate, white plume and red and blue cockade. The cavalry had a very similar uniform to the infantry.
See, David, before you know it you'll be doing the WAS, then the WSS and GNW . . . and then, at some point, the men in white suits will come give you a coat with long arms and take you to a room with nice soft walls.
ReplyDelete-- a grinning Jeff
Hey - does that room with nice soft walls have a comfortable bed? What's the room service like? Can I go there now? Really could do with a good long rest... ;-)
ReplyDeleteDavid.
P.S. No - this is not the slippery slope - [repeat to self 1000 times] I will not do anything pre-1740, I will not do anything pre-1740, ... :-)
Excellent! Nothing pre-1740 leaves PLENTY of room for AWI and Napoleonics!!
ReplyDeleteEd
Whoops - hastily pays lawyer a gazillion pounds to add "and nothing post-1763" to the NBA contract. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDavid.
Though I admit that I have done an AWI American Marine for someone but I won't tell if no-one else does.
ReplyDeleteDavid.
David,
ReplyDeleteYour designs just keep getting better and more intricate. This latest design is really something. The folks at Osprey should contract you to create uniform plates for their books. Now, how about a very fancy version of that white jacket with the long arms?
Best Regards,
Stokes
Thanks, Stokes. Yes, something like these would look good in the Osprey volumes, wouldn't they?
ReplyDeleteI think we'll need a version of the long-armed jacket for musketeers, grenadiers and various cavalry, just for starters. It could be a whole new line! ;-)
David.