Friday 30 December 2016

From SidneyR: Don Fernando de Torrescusa, Marques de Girona (49 Points)

I hope you’ve all had a great Christmas, and are enjoying the holidays. I certainly have, although it’s been pretty frantic with visits to relatives, visits from relatives, a late near-Christmas Eve finish to work, spending time with the family… and so on. All events which seem to be planned precisely to prevent any time at all sitting at the painting table! That being said, I didn’t have great ambitions for the Christmas holidays - I’ve been there so many times before - great, elaborate plans and then achieving very little!! So this year, I thought for the Christmas holidays I’d just attempt to make a start, and a small start at that, on my Challenge contribution.

Let me explain a little about the figures below:



In the Autumn of 1688, the Lords of the Free City of Laarden, positioned between Brugge and Antwerpen on the Flemish coast, sent an emissary to the Spanish Court at El Escorial, just outside Madrid. The small party of Laarden plenipotentiaries, drawn from the five great noble houses of Laarden, had been given the task of seeking military support and financial assistance for their city’s expected involvement in a new conflict which almost everyone in the Spanish Netherlands was anticipating would start with the commencement of the 1689 campaigning season. While the Laarden plenipotentiaries were proud of their city’s independence in the turmoils of the frequent wars in the region between France, Spain and The Dutch Republic, they were pragmatic enough to realise that an alliance with the Spain was likely to be critical in securing their city’s survival in any future conflict.


Ever magnanimous, and sensing an opportunity to forge a profitable alliance with an important Flemish city, Count Oropesa, one of the leading advisors to the sickly King Carlos II recommended the immediate despatch of a Spanish military envoy to Laarden. 

Don Fernando de Torrescusa, Marquess de Girona, a veteran of numerous battles against the French, was selected for the mission. Don Fernando, although elderly and recently retired to his Castilian estates, was considered by his beloved Tercios as being a “soldier’s soldier”, as well as being a skilled diplomat. He was therefore a promising choice to negotiate the recruitment of a force of Spanish and Hapsberg allies to complement Laarden’s own militia and other Flemish and Walloon regiments gathering at the city itself during the winter months.

For our purposes, Don Fernando’s greatest legacy is perhaps his journal, which appears to have been written by him between December 1688 and March 1689. Commencing with details of his journey from the heart of the Empire to Laarden, his journal goes on to describe his experiences in Laarden in recruiting troops, skirmishing with outlying French patrols and preparing the Laarden forces in winter quarters for the campaigning season of 1689.


Extracts from Don Fernando’s journal will be irregularly appearing on the Roundwood’s World blog in the next couple of months. But for now, here is Don Fernando, cantering over the Flemish dunes with a small detachment of supporters drawn (perhaps) from one or more of the Flemish or Spanish regiments slowly assembling in Laarden. More optimistically, those with good eyesight can see the commencement (in 2mm) of Don Fernando’s forces, comprising a regiment of caracoling Spanish Horse, a battery of bronze barrelled Spanish artillery, two detachments of trayne guards and a 2mm version of Don Fernando himself and his personal baggage landing on a snow-bound Flemish coastline. 





The 2mm figures are from Irregular Miniatures. The large scale version of Don Fernando and his compatriots are Dixon Miniatures and Wargames Foundry (with a fair bit of conversion), with the reluctant baggage pony being from Midian Miniatures.

(45 points - depending on the 2mm scoring!)

I was wondering if we would see more from your wonderful Free City of Laarden project this Challenge and I'm happy to say that's the case. I just never get tired of looking at your work Sidney and this post is no exception.
The 28mm miniatures are wonderfully painted and as always tell an interesting tale both in terms of the backstory and the palette used. What I really like is the 2mm stands though. So much detail at such a small scale! I'm seriously tempted to try this period at this scale and it's you and Curt who are the chief reasons for that being the case.
By my reckoning that's 49 points to kick off your Challenge. More Laarden please!
Cheers,Millsy

22 comments:

  1. Lovely lovely work in both scales Sid. I am looking forward to hear more aboutFon Fernando.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic brush work, I am green with envy

    Ian

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely, the 28mm stuff is full of character

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love your work, Sidney, keep it coming!

    ReplyDelete
  5. WTF 2mm is that a real scale, I am finding 10mm tough. I love your 28mm Sidney and am sure the 2mm is great just a bit tough to see.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Off the mark nicely .. 2mm madness ... love it..

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely paint work on Girona, it's a lovely town too! All the 28mm figs are great and the 2mm are fab too, I especially like the wagons.
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love it! Backstory and figures. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Incredible painting in both scales.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Some of the best 2 mm figure I Have ever seen. (And the 28's and not shabby either!) 2mm is just a little small for me but that does not stop me admiring them.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What an excellent way of entering the challenge Sidney! Your painting is above par as always and I really appreciate all the background on your little flemish townsfolk you're feeding us with. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Brilliant entry and colourful as always. The background is ace as well!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow. Brilliant stuff. I look forward to seeing your posts on the journal and progress on the project.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Absolutely lovely work, Sid. I never tire of Laarden's adventures and I'm delighted to see that we will be treated to more this Challenge campaign season. I particularly like the sad, world-weary eyes of Don Fernando and the winter scarves of his retainers.

    I also see that I need to get going with my 3mm figures as you've stolen a march on me! Wonderful work Mr. Roundwood. I must retire to my brushes to come up with a response...

    ReplyDelete
  15. Outstanding. These figures tell a fair few tales and strike the balance between diorama and gaming accessory beautifully!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Grand entry, Sidney! The poor Don looks a bit homesick for the sultry clime of his estates! He is probably wondering who he iritated enough to send him North!
    The 2mm stuff is really epic, a lot of detail packed away in them!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Congratulatons, Sidney, you win the prize for best backstory to your wonderful figures. The vignette really evokes old soldiers on the road, confident and doing what they can to ease the long march. The brushwork is amazing. Little details like the cord on the bales add so much. A lovely entry. As to the 2mm figures, my brain shuts off thinking about them.
    Looking forward to more entries from the Don's journal.

    ReplyDelete