AlanD - Curtgeld (60 Points)

Here's my Curtgeld. What a ride the Painting Challenge has been! I have loved being part of it, and seeing the creativity and imagination of people scattered around the world. Most of all, I have been very grateful for the huge amount of time Curt has put into making the Challenge work. Thanks Curt!

My antihero for Curt is Saladin, seen here in his court interrogating a Frankish prisoner. The seven figures are the Perry set of a Seljuk emir's court, but maybe Saladin's early life in Asia Minor meant that he adopted Seljuk customs. There are no surviving descriptions of Saladin's physical appearance, except the suggestion that he was not a big man, but rather frail with a neat beard. So anything goes, really.

The rug is painted freehand, based loosely on a design I saw in a book. Only Saladin and his 'throne' are actually attached to the base - the other figures have pegs and match up to holes drilled in the base to make it easier to post to Curt.

Hope you like it, Curt!


From Curt:

Oh wow, this is an amazing vignette Alan. Saladin is a fabulous submission, especially in light of your Saracen entries this year, and a brilliant antihero (though, as we know, to many he is a hero of the Crusader era). Your work is just superb, from the overall composition of the the scene to the beautiful hand-painted rug and shields. Just fantastic. Saladin has a space waiting for him in the Curtgeld cabinet, next to the other misunderstood heroes of history. 

Thanks so much Alan!