Below see some images of a newly remastered SYW command stand of mine. Its the Erbprinz, awestruck nicknamed "Achilles" by his French opponets. I have redone the laces of his coat making a better match to the Brunswick Leib-Regiment officers dress. The Kassel Museums Collection has a portrait of him dated 1763 where he looks just this way including the popular black hunting dress breeches. The saddlecloth is my own guess work. The portrait shows him along with his family “dismounted” missing the horse.
His entourage is made up or a newly painted officer of the Hannoverian Jägers (green dress). He may be Winzigerode or captain Friedrichs, adding the so much needed intelligence to his staff. He certainly does have the bigger spy-glass.
The two black uniformed blokes are his personal Garde d'Honneur. Its a troop of the Buckebourg Black Carabiniers. I painted them many years ago. Make no mistake – if you should ever make it to the gates of Walhalla, those very two gentlemen will receive you, for they'll be the Gate Guards. No doubt. You better know the Parole or watchword. If you miss it, you will not pass. They'll show you the short-cut way straight to hell, instead.
Below find a few images of my latest paint-jobs.
I have somewhat remastered the Hesse-Cassel Malsburg, IR 10 (left), and the Brunswick regt. Zastrow, by giving them new flags and a new issue of black gaiters. The Hessian Malsburg men are seen with their white linen summer dress breeches, instead of the regular yellow dye wool breeches. Ever since I saw that Hessian Garde officer illustrated in John Mollow / Malcom McGregor Uniforms of the Seven Years' War way back in the 1970's, I was hooked to this yellow vests and white breeches idea being distinctive Hessian, learning only much later that white breeches for summer dress were rather universal, really.
Next comes my newly painted Hesse-Cassel regt Wutginau (IR 5), in 1759 "Leib-Regiment", but changed its name when Frédéric II became the new Landgrave in 1760. He now promoted his own Erbprinz regiment (IR 7) to the new "Leib-Regiment", which I have also added as a new unit to my SYW Allied Army.
Malsburg as well as Wutginau both have the old flags of the period of William VIII (1751-1760). This design was carried all through the 7YW, despite the devolution of the crown in 1760. But there have been exceptions, it is believed. An alternative newly introduced flag design can be seen with my latest paint-job, the 1760 new Leib-Regiment (IR 7) below.
I have decided to paint this unit in the dress, that is believed to have been introduced only at around May-June 1761. Rather late during the war. Before the facing colours were light yellow instead of rosé. I just love this rosé facing colour, and at the risk of entering the realm of imaginary nations here, I just wanted to have those lads look just this way. I love 'em. The flag design is similar as that of Frédéric's 1760 newly raised "Leib-Garde" (IR 14).
