Not sure how different the Swiss were from their German counterparts, but these will be proxy Swiss for Italian Wars. The musician is a Foundry figure that my buddy included with the box of pikemen. He might be dressed a little earlier, but he fits in with the Swiss "look."
Keeping the clothing in just two colors helped speed up the process. Didn't have to think about color combinations. I did go over the white areas after the Minwax staining to help the colors pop.
I used the Savoy flag from the Perry Mounted Men at Arms set.
Here they are next to the GW Empire swordsmen. They'd be okay on the table together in separate units. The GW guys are a bit chunkier.
Although I wasn't planning on more pikemen, it's always nice to have more.
From my research, what people think of as typically Swiss, is the styles seen in the Burgundian wars.
ReplyDeleteAfter these wars, the slashed clothing appeared among the Swiss and was copied by the Germans. The clothing became more extravagant from the early Italian Wars, with Landesknechts embracing more extravagant and flamboyant outfits.
Generally, there was little to differentiate between them, the Germans being possibly less restrained than the Swiss. The Swiss favoured lots of feathers, especially ostrich (the Landesknechts called them "feather jonnies") and a longer sword. Other than that, it was white crosses or red burgundy "X" field signs and possibly flags, although the Swiss only carried Cantonal flags if fighting on their own accord, not generally when mercenaries (but sometimes did).
Neil
Thanks for the great info, Neil! I saw a few period illustrations (Marignano, etc.), and the two looked similarly attired. Kindest regards, Dean
DeleteExcellent pikemen Dean!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Mike! Kindest regards, Dean
DeleteOh! Awesome looking unit Dean!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michal! Kindest regards, Dean
DeleteHi Dean, a splendid big unit. I can confirm what Neil said, there is little difference in attire during the Italian Wars proper between Landsknecht and Swiss AFAIK. The Landsknecht favoured the katzbalger side sword which the Swiss did not, and the hosen of the Swiss was usually a bit plainer, but that's it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way Warlord Games is coming out with a metallic Swiss line which you can already pre-order, in case you would like to bolster the ranks of your pike block :)
Thanks for the nice comment, Andrew! I'm looking forward to seeing those Swiss. Kindest regards, Dean
DeleteMore excellent additions to your Italian Wars collection there, Dean!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Keith! I hope to get them in a game soon - still waiting for our bathroom rebuild. Warmest regards, Dean
DeleteGreat additions to your collection Dean. Plus, helpful info/clarification from Neil and Andrew.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Richard. Yes, I suppose I could switch banners as needed. Kindest regards, Dean
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