Wednesday, November 26, 2014

John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury

Here is another BTD Late-HYW foot knight; painted up as John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury. Although not a major participant in the HYW, his uncle, William Montacute, the 2nd Earl of Salisbury, served in most of the campaigns of Edward III. John Montagu was a loyal supporter of Richard II, the son of the Prince of Wales, and successor to Edward III.
The main reason I painted him up as the 3rd Earl instead of the 2nd is due to the nicer (to me) coat of arms. The green (or vert in heraldic terms) eagle looks nicer than the tri-leg charge of his uncle's pictured below left:
John Montacute was close to the royal household of England, and at one point was entrusted with the welfare of the future Henry V. Unfortunately he was later beheaded for conspiring to kill Henry IV and restore Richard II. Events which anticipated the War of the Roses. In any case, he'll still be part of the English retinue.

A Micron pen was used to draw the eagles - much easier than painting them for me.
Some years back I painted up a 120mm Velinden figure in the same coat of arms as they are very interesting and colorful. This figure represents John's eldest son, Thomas the 4th Earl of Salisbury, who fought for Henry V at Agincourt. He met his death at the Siege of Orleans, the result of injuries from cannon fire.

24 comments:

  1. Wowie! They just keep rolling off your painting desk with each release better than the one before!

    Your 120mm Verlinden is quite amazing. He DOES belong in a museum display.

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    1. Thanks, Jonathan. Before getting into wargaming, I used to just paint historical models - not many, just the ones that caught my fancy. 28mm is great a good scale/size as it allows for nice details. Warm regards, Dean

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  2. Marvelous! Dean, you did a fantastic work on the detail on these fine looking figures....awesome!

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    1. Thanks, Phil! BTW, this coming Saturday there is a gameday at the Gig Harbor Public Library - all day SAGA and other games. I know you're on that side of the Sound. Best, Dean

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    2. hmm... thanks for the info Dean, yeah bit of a hike from Poulsbo to Gig Harbor... who knows though, may make it and drop in...

      cheers

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    3. Oh, Poulsbo, yes quite a ways away.

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  3. Wow! Amazing freehand there, very impressed!

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  4. Very nicely done and great job on replicating the heraldry from the big guy :D

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  5. Fantastic! I agree with your decision on the coat of arms, look way better!

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    1. Thanks, Rodger. To be fair, the 2nd Earl's tri-leg charge isn't that bad, it's the same red & white colors that didn't appeal to me. Best, Dean

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  6. Impressed that you've managed to paint that coat of arms onto a 28mm figure - every one of these knights is a little work of art. That excellent Verlinden figure brings back memories also, I've got some French nobles from their Agincourt range still waiting for my attention. 120's are a big mouthful, but do look great when finished. I second Jonathan's verdict, he belongs in a museum or in a prominent position on your desk!

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    1. Appreciate your compliments, Soren. I have the larger figure in a display case - and had been sitting there collecting dust for many years, it was nice to have an "excuse" to show him off again. Warm regards, Dean

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  7. Love the detail in this Dean and great comparison with the larger miniature too.

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    1. Thanks, Michael. It was a nice "excuse" to show off the 120mm figure :) Warm regards, Dean

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  8. That's an amazing paint job, Dean; are you assembling an England All-Stars team for Lion Rampant?

    And talk about backing the wrong horse...! Poor John Montagu!

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    1. Evan: Indeed the retinue is being filled with English notables - what an excuse to get the coat of arms of famous knights - without having to paint up a ton of rank file :) Lion Rampant is perfect for this! I think a lot of nobility lost their heads during that time. Just look at all the intermarriage relationships and potential heirs to the throne. Thanks again, Dean

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  9. Absolutely awesome work on the coat of arms!

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  10. Really great work on both Dean and very nice coat of arms work!

    Christopher

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  11. Really nice figures Dean, lovely armour finish on the big guy!

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