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French, Neapolitan and Polish Cavalry Uniforms 1804-1831 - A series of watercolours from the 19th century rediscovered (Hardcover)
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French, Neapolitan and Polish Cavalry Uniforms 1804-1831 - A series of watercolours from the 19th century rediscovered (Hardcover)
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A proverbial cellar find brought to light a remarkable source for
Napoleonic uniformology, which due to its artistic design but also
high level of detail offers valuable support in the research of the
military dress of Napoleonic mounted troops. A total of 56
large-format hand-coloured watercolours depict cavalry, artillery
and train troops of the French Imperial period from 1804 to 1812,
the Neapolitan army of 1812, and the Polish uprising of 1831. The
work itself is introduced with a foreword by art historian Dr. Hans
D. Baumann, commenting on the artistic representation and
especially the provenance of the portfolio. It turned out that the
watercolours by unknown artists were originally part of the library
of the Royal Theatre in Berlin and finally reached Kassel via the
salt mines of Thuringia in the course of the Second World War. From
there they went to a private collector and then disappeared in the
afore-mentioned cellar. The reference to the Royal Theatres in
Berlin as well as the posture and presentation of some of the
depicted cavalrymen quickly led to Richard Knoetel's famous Grosse
Uniformenkunde. This is because this doyen of German uniformology
cited "coloured hand drawings from the library of the Royal Theatre
of Berlin" as the source of some of his plates on the French army.
His plates on the Neapolitan army are also partly based on the
original source presented here for the first time. Even though the
artist (or artists) probably did not produce the 56 watercolours
until the late 1830s or 1840s, they are captivatingly accurate and
have been assessed by Markus Gartner and Markus Stein for their
historical accuracy. Each plate is accompanied by a brief
commentary, which usually classifies the depiction as correct -
especially the rarer depictions, such as French carabiniers around
1812 in the sky-blue uniforms, underline the artist's sound
knowledge of Napoleonic military costume. As evidence of the
painting's contemporary origins, some plates are accompanied by
illustrations by early 19th century military artists such as
Martinet or Weiland, which obviously served as sources. Some
illustrations are also supplemented by Knoetel's plates, enabling
readers to verify for themselves the impact these watercolours had
on the creation of a work of such fundamental nature as the "Grosse
Uniformenkunde". Thus this book spans 19th century uniformology
from the early years to its perfection around 1890. In addition to
the commentaries, the plates are also accompanied by historic
details outlining the development and wartime deployment of the
unit depicted, as well as the standards carried. These additions
were made on the basis of rarer works of French military history,
while modern works by military historians Markus Gartner and Markus
Stein were also consulted. Since the paintings depict mounted units
throughout (both of the Guard and the Line), the reader is able to
obtain a comprehensive picture of the splendour of Napoleonic
cavalry turned out in their colourful uniforms. The artistic charm
of a previously unpublished source and the wide range of units
represented will surely make this book a highlight of any library.
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