RomanArmyTalk

As mentioned elsewhere, I have been scanning the plates from Amédée Forestier's The Roman Soldier and the first tranche are now available here. Many (I am in the process of trying to establish precisely how many) are in the collection of Lewes Castle Museum.

Mike Bishop

You're doing a bang-up job, sir!

Is the quoted text (on Flickr) from Richmond's commentary? (So, it's presumably Richmond's view of the ruin of the ancient world in the "Spanish and Frank auxiliaries" caption?)

Quote:You're doing a bang-up job, sir!

Why, thank you, Mr Campbell (as I assume we're now supposed to address you, snake-tongued demon that you are).

Quote:Is the quoted text (on Flickr) from Richmond's commentary? (So, it's presumably Richmond's view of the ruin of the ancient world in the "Spanish and Frank auxiliaries" caption?)

Interestingly, no. IAR provides a rather pedestrian run-through of the Roman army from start to end as a standalone Introduction. The captions are separate and Forestier's own (their styles are quite distinct). As such, there are colour plates, monochrome plates (presumably from colour originals), and line drawings, like the segmentata sketch.

[attachment=2657]smsegmentata.jpg[/attachment]

Mike Bishop

Hi Mike

Thanks for the mention and link to my website on your post too.

Indeed the legionaries based in Jerusalem in the Richard Burton film "the Robe" wear blue tunics and red cloaks with leg wrappings stuffed with wool. They look uncannily like the illustration of a legionary sentry produced by Forestier and I do not think it too far fetched to suggest that some movie researcher chanced across the book.

I am very interested to hear that some of the originals are in Lewes Castle. Have you seen them Mike and do you know what size they are?

PM also sent Mike

Best wishes.

Graham.

Quote:I am very interested to hear that some of the originals are in Lewes Castle. Have you seen them Mike and do you know what size they are?

Only found that out because some of them are featured on the BBC's Your Paintings website (where sizes are given). I'm guessing they must have been a bequest, but I have emailed the museum just in case they have more (such as those reproduced in monochrome in the book, which are presumably from colour originals) on display. I know Jessie Mothersole, for instance, always painted in colour but many of her books (such as Hadrian's Wall) have a high proportion reproduced in monochrome because of the costs of colour printing. I have been to Lewes Castle (fantastic view from the top) but don't recall seeing the paintings.

Mike Bishop

I'm not sure what it signifies, if anything, but by far the most popular painting (according to the Flickr stats) is the monochrome 'A general looks out from Hadrian's Wall'.

Mike Bishop

I like how it says "This photo was taken some time in 1927..." :wink:

Quote:I like how it says "This photo was taken some time in 1927..." :wink:

A product of Flickr's rather vague system for dating (and the assumption that it is a photo!). Even worse is their lack of a public domain licence for out-of-copyright content.

Mike Bishop

Quote:I'm not sure what it signifies, if anything, but by far the most popular painting (according to the Flickr stats) is the monochrome 'A general looks out from Hadrian's Wall'.

Thanks for these images Mike.
My favourite is the other monochrome one, the guard on the Wall in the snow.

I like the Later Roman images, as they indeed present a good picture of the ideas at that time. The Frankish auxiliary with the heavy blond braids.. brilliant. I wonder though why Stilicho was presented as a white-haired gentleman. He was about 50!

Quote:I wonder though why Stilicho was presented as a white-haired gentleman. He was about 50!

Curiously, he looks exactly like Peter Connolly!

...And some of us had white hair long before we were 50!

Mike Bishop

Quote:Curiously, he looks exactly like Peter Connolly!

:lol: Didn't notice on my first trawl-through. Uncanny!

Quote:..., Mr Campbell (as I assume we're now supposed to address you, ...)

Us "Misters" have to stick together! :wink:

I like the one of the soldier playing with his children outside Hardknott fort, despite (as I understand it) there being no evidence of a vicus outside Hardknott. I'm not too impressed by his cataphractus, though!

Fascinating, to see the evolution in our views of the Roman Army from these illustrations to those of today. No doubt you are correct that, 80 years on, our current drawings will seem, if not out of date, at least amusingly quaint.

Thanks for posting!

:wink:

Narukami

Quote:I like the one of the soldier playing with his children outside Hardknott fort, despite (as I understand it) there being no evidence of a vicus outside Hardknott. I'm not too impressed by his cataphractus, though!

I feel the same about re-enactors who have the points on their lorica segmentata upper shoulderguards facing outwards ;-)

Here they are:


Mike Bishop

WHAT are they doing to the cataphractus rider in the background???? hock: