While on the subject of Napoleonic military types, I must mention three figures delicately assembled and exquisitely painted by the late Marc Caudill, whose work I celebrated in an earlier article.
These figures, shown below, were obtained from Ray Haradin’s “Toys of Yesteryear” and were originally part of the late Christopher Hammond’s collection. A personal friend of mine, Chris was a collector of impeccable taste, and his collection included figures by Berdou,Des Fontaines, Vanot and Courtenay.
The three figures were originally create by Madame Metayer and later issued in the United States in model kit form under the banner “Les Tambours.” From left to right they include a sapper (or pioneer) of the 2nd Swiss Regiment, a unit organized from Swiss soldiers originally in the service of the King of France after Napoleon’s return from Elba. The middle figure is a boy fifer from a light infantry regiment of the line. As this figure bears out, light infantry musicians did not always wear uniforms with facings reversed. Finally, we have a stalwart Chasseur of the Imperial Guard in field service uniform. Taken together, these three figures are a wonderful addition to my collection.
Tags: Military, Figures and Toy Soldiers
