On Bloody Ground - Cover art for a new rules series

 

I've been a bit excited the last couple of weeks as, for the first time, I have one of my paintings as the cover of a glossy book.

Some may be aware that I painted this oil commission of "King Harold at Hastings, 1066" a few years ago for an esteemed senior wargamer who lives not far from me, and it was spotted on my website about 5 months ago by the authors of these rules.  David and Dan Toone are a father and son team from Essex who have big plans to make an impression on the world of Ancient and Medieval wargaming with something a bit different. In these days of fashionable small scale skirmish games with sword, spear  and armour warbands they are offering a "big battle" game. Still designed for a basic 6 foot x 4 foot table and armies manageable by most gamers' resources, they can be ranged up as big as you like.

At this stage it is important to me to point out that the "The Norman Conquest" is merely the first of many in the pipeline and I will say more towards the end of this post - please read on.

In the words of the authors 

"OBG - The Norman Conquest is a 64 page, perfect bound rulebook, with common sense core rules, including brutal combat and a system of orders that makes the game dynamic, exciting, fun and challenging.

The rules are designed for use with individually based 28mm miniatures, but can easily be adapted for use with any scale or basing.

This first book in the series covers the Dark Ages in Britain between the 8th and the 11th centuries and includes army lists for Saxons, Vikings, Normans, Irish, Scottish and Welsh.

If you have any questions regarding the game and it's mechanics, or more specifics on how the game plays, don't hesitate to contact us.

We will be creating more videos on the mechanics of the game, as well as battle reports and information of our newest releases.

On Bloody Ground can be found and bought on our website here:

www.wipgamesandminiatures.com

Also check out or new Facebook group dedicated to WiP Games and Miniatures and everything to do with On Bloody Ground:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2739106046226902/"

That says it all really.

My readers know me as a keen "horse and musket" wargamer with a strong bent towards World War Two as well. Although I've played a lot of Ancient, and a fair bit of Medieval in my time, in no way do I pretend to be any expert in the history and mechanics of the warfare of those eras. So I can't give an opinion on how "good" the rules are, but I can say that if I was not already up to my eyes in a big project (see some forthcoming posts on my Napoleonic 1809 campaign progress) I would be highly stimulated by this book to get some boxes of plastic Saxons  and say, Vikings, and have a go.  Suffice for now for me to present you with photographs of some pages from the book which I hope will be enough to help you to decide to buy a copy at the very reasonable price of £15.  It is A4 size, easy to read text with lots of diagrams, and feels like a durable volume that is good to handle. As you see above it is backed up by lots of information and free downloads elsewhere on the internet. There is also a blog On Bloody Ground

A very comprehensive and useful contents list, and there is also an index
at the back

Your existing base sizes are not a problem, evidently as long as you
can fit figures into a unit footprint base, which remains constant
throughout the game. Not a bad idea to represent the fluid
formations of the period thinning out with losses and exhaustion.
Skirmishers operate as individual figures though.

There are 8 pages of really useful photos of actual units and game-specific vignettes - not just eye candy but a real aid in understanding how to form armies, plus useful stimulation on "uniforms" for beginners

The six nationalities represented in this volume each have three pages
 packed with useful examples of unit types

I'm proud of another little contribution of mine -There are a number of black and
white vignettes of details of the cover painting which have been used as chapter
 endings etc. Hopefully they give a little added stimulation to get on with the wargaming

The Future

David and Dan are being naturally pragmatic in these difficult economic times and future volumes depend to some extent on sales of Part One. But each period has its own devotees so, personally, I am optimistic that they will be successful in more than just "The Norman Conquest" era. They have plans for releases in the following order:

The Reconquista

Rome's Gallic Wars

The Persian Wars

Alexander the Great  (a favourite of mine which I am looking forward to)

They are already working on a series of 28mm white metal figures but the only info I have on those is that it will be  Greeks and Achaemenid Persians first

And in answer to my basic question David said:

<<Each book we produce will have the same core rules, with variations in special rules, arms and armour as necessary for the period. So players can buy one book and play to their hearts content with no need for anything else.>>

To finish here is sneak peek of the Cover for Book Two which I have completed, and the expectation is there will be more paintings to come for the following titles.  If you are not already aware of my art work please take a look at my website Chris Gregg Art. If you are already one of my art patrons then I think you might like to start collecting this series as a little sideline to your investment in my art - Thank you. 

The Soldiers of Islam gather to make Holy War c. 1082 
(original acrylic painting by Chris Gregg - COPYRIGHT)

Relaxing Hussarette - more on Countess Natasha, 1758

September 1758 

.........The bedroom in Schloss Grunburg was surprisingly warm considering the late hour. Countess Natasha Gruzinskaya slipped off her pelisse and settled into the large buttoned sofa so thoughtfully placed by the servants near the fire. Her skin glowed with the arousal of personal combat enhanced by the firelight.  She was quite relaxed.....what could have been an arduous duel with Count Gregorius' fencing master, Captain Metternich, had ended quickly. She reflected on her deft movements and smirked.  Gregorius had asked her why she was naked and she told him "Better to fight" ....but her only garment, the yellow Gruzinsky Hussars pelisse, was actually the key to victory for she had whipped it off and thwarted Metternich's first strike.....his blade slashed through the sleeve and got tangled in the loops and cords. She pulled it aside and delivered a disabling blow to his sword arm. He would live but the Count would be needing a new fencing master, or mistress... 

Although she was a prisoner, the Count and the assembled guards from the Grunburg Dragoons stepped back in awe and respect, for Metternich was known to be a formidable opponent, and yet here he lay bleeding and looking helpless. 

There was not a scratch on Natasha but now she only had on her hat and her boots and her pelisse was in tatters so Gregorius instructed one of his aides to give her his own blue pelisse. To imply that she needed clothing to recover her dignity would be far from the truth for she stood erect and elegant, the Croat's oriental sabre poised delicately but purposefully in her hand, as if to imply "Any one else want the same?"

"Countess......", Gregorius sounded friendly...." you have done well, and as my prisoner I put you on your officer's parole not to try to escape. Now please give me back the beautiful weapon I lent you and we shall return yours to you. Then you may have a guest room and I will see you shortly."

So, in that guest room, Natasha contemplates her fate. Will she ever return to the Russian Army again? Maybe Grunburg could provide a new home and new adventures throughout Europe in the Count's service, who knows?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

But we, dear readers, know better, don't we?

This story, and new painting, is just continuing the saga of the reckless and semi-naked Natasha through the Seven Years War. Here is a link to my original painting and first photoshoot with my Russian model. And as a reminder, the first time she came to be painted chronologically in 1755 plus links to the other incidents concerning her and Grunburg.

Once again an oil painting on canvas, 16 inches x 12 inches and available for sale at around my usual very affordable price for this size. Please take a look at my art website for more detailed photos and a link through to a whole series of photos showing how the painting was created, I hope you enjoy it.

As I have said before, I am open to commissions for military subjects or  your own fantasy Hussarette/Chasseurette/Lancerette etc, just get in touch via the website or direct email and we can discuss.

A skirmish between Prussian infantry and cossacks at Zorndorf, 1758. By Emil Hunten (1829-1862) painted 1862.  No, not the Gruzinsky Hussars, but Natasha was captured near Zorndorf by Grunburg Dragoons fighting for the Prussians

"Lady at rest - Countess Natasha Gruzinskaya 1755", or "My Homage to Boucher"

By 1755 even Sir Joshua Gregg RA himself was surprised by how far his fame (or notoriety if you prefer)  had spread. He was in Paris on one of his many European tours when the letter arrived from what we now call Georgia requesting him to paint certain notables in the court of Count Gruzinsky on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Ever seeking adventures and new challenges our artistic hero jumped at the chance, and the large fee being offered by this senior official of the Russian Royal Court. 

The Count referred in particular to his 20 year old daughter, Natasha, the Countess Gruzinskaya (his wife having unfortunately died 3 years earlier) and his desire to have a tasteful portrait with which to attract an eligible suitor in Saint Petersburg, as she was long past marriageable age in aristocratic circles.

With that in mind Sir Joshua added to his portfolio a sketch given to him by his friend Francois Boucher a few years earlier. This was a pose Joshua had long admired (as he did all Monsieur Boucher's many paintings of ladies). It was a beautiful drawing sketched from life of a young girl on the fringes of the French Royal Court called Marie-Louise O'Murphy and whom Boucher had been commissioned to paint in 1752 for no less than King Louis himself. Josh also chuckled as he found the sketch he had done of Francois working on the painting.  Maybe this trip would offer a chance to use it as inspiration.......

Life sketch of Miss O'Murphy

Boucher at work 1752. Pen and ink sketch by Sir Joshua Gregg
(tongue in cheek - actual artist unknown)

So that Summer he found himself getting acquainted with the charming, intelligent and humorous Natasha. She was unlike Boucher's well endowed young teenage blonde of the French Court but was dark, slightly Asiatic in appearance, mature for her years and with a beautifully proportioned figure. Like all aspiring Russian noblewomen she was keen to improve her knowledge of France and French language and Sir Joshua was very happy to give her his insights during the posing sessions. He gained her confidence to such an extent that, soon after the official portrait was completed, he had little difficulty in persuading her to give Boucher's pose a go. The Black Sea coastal Summer weather added to her enthusiasm to disrobe for an artist. The Georgian palace was well equipped with French style furniture, plump cushions and silk drapes and Natasha joined in keenly with arranging them..... 

Lady at rest - Countess Natasha Gruzinskaya, 1755. Oil on board, 22 inches x 16 inches
 by Sir Joshua Gregg RA

.............choosing a long blue hair ribbon and plucking some roses from the garden to scatter in some semblance of how Sir Joshua described Boucher's original touching scene........

He also told her there needed to be a book in the foreground and so she found the well-thumbed first edition of Moliere's "L'ecole Des Femmes" which her father had insisted she read as he seemed to think (despite being written 100 years earlier) that it contained useful advice for a young wife in sophisticated society.

However, anyone familiar with their classic French literature will view the pensive look on Natasha's face and wonder....She was not to be the ugly and stupid, but honest, bride desired by Arnolphe in the play; she was already a headstrong, free spirited, highly intelligent and capable young woman. She was her father's daughter....an expert horsewoman and already a match with the sabre for any officer in her father's regiment - the Gruzinsky Hussars. This time with Sir Joshua at least gave her an opportunity to show her softer side and indulge in some intellectual conversation away from the rough horseplay of the officer's mess...............

                                                         XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well thank you, dear reader, for indulging me thus far!

Many followers of this blog  will, like me, be admirers of the style as well as the military history and costume of the 18th century and Francois Boucher embodies that decadence in much of his work.  When I first met Yaroslavna in 2014 and discussed with her the kind of posing she wanted to do, apart from Hussarettes and the other fantasy subjects, we thought something tasteful by Boucher would be good.

I'm indebted to that noted wargamer-blogger and art connoisseur Legatus Hedlius for his research on this painting of Marie Louise O'Murphy and can do no better than quote some extensive pieces from his blog. Please enjoy the different renditions of the original painting under various titles, and his information.

Ruhendes Madchen

"Mary-Louise O'Murphy de Boisfaily by François Boucher (1703-1770).   She was the fifth daughter of an army officer of Irish extraction, Daniel O'Murphy de Boisfaily.  She was born in Rouen on October 21st 1737. After her father died her mother took her to Paris where the widow traded in second hand clothes whilst finding work for her daughters. Mary-Louise became a dancer at L'Opera and a model. Casanova knew her (she is mentioned in his diaries) and she may have been his mistress, briefly. Casanova certainly introduced her to Boucher who painted this picture of her in 1752 and also had an affair with her (33 year age difference not withstanding). It has been argued that the picture was produced as a direct invitation to Louis XV; demonstrating that she was available to be his mistress

Louise O'Murphy

Marie-Louise O'Murphy

She quickly became one of Louis' second tier mistresses and stayed so for two years. Louis had an official mistress, of course, Madame de Pompadour. Mary-Louise bore the king an illegitimate daughter, Agathe Louise de Saint-Antoine (1754-1774), but she tried to oust Madame de Pompadour from top mistress spot and was soon kicked out of the court and married off to Comte de Beaufranchet, who must have been very cheered by this development, as Mary-Louise was still only 17. He didn't get to enjoy her for very long, though, as he was killed at the Battle of Rossbach in 1757, where Frederick the Great smashed a combined Franco-Austrian army. Mary-Louise subsequently had two more husbands, including one who was thirty years younger than her who she married at the age of 61! Although she was imprisoned for a time during the French Revolution she survived The Terror and died in 1814 at the age of 77. The painting now hangs in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.  It is a comparatively small picture: about 24" by 29" and was just the sort of sized picture Boucher would turn out for the cabinets of his wealthy gentleman collectors.

Resting Girl

Boucher also painted another version of the painting, which is in the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne, but it doesn't quite have the plump pliancy of the original.   Boucher was a prolific artist, producing over 10,000 drawings during his life, and at the time was criticised for churning out paintings for the money."

The blonde odalisque

I certainly did not "churn this out for the money" and I hope its new owner will think the painting good value for a modest outlay. Like Legatus I just admired the simplicity and supposed innocence of the subject and it was a bit of surprise later to find out about her questionable life! I did not know that when Yara and I set out on this mini-adventure. My Russian model proved to be enthusiastic and most supportive, setting up the scene with drapes, sheets and cushions. Here we are making adjustments to try to fit the photos of the original painting.

As  more than one version of Marie-Louise O'Murphy was painted I did not feel obliged to be totally authentic and the colours of Yara's furnishings sets off her skin so well I absolutely loved the effect. I hope you do too.

I used the full blown classic techniques of outline sketch, grisaille underpainting then colour underpainting and finally many layers of oil colour to get  the richness this subject needs.  I had cut the canvas board to fit a lovely 18th Century style frame I had already. It was gilt and a bit garish for modern tastes so I repainted it in thinned acrylic and then dry-brushed all the raised Rococo style detail in gold acrylic paint.  I think the result is smart, elegant and slightly "edgy", and sympathetic to the painting without overpowering; which is what a frame should be. This painting of Natasha needs to dry thoroughly and then have several coats of gloss varnish. When finished it will have the feel of a 250 year old oil painting - but look fresh of course!

As if I was not already lucky enough to have done the photoshoot and then the painting, the first client I showed some photos of it to snapped it up!  That is Colin Ashton, an avid collector and so far has about a dozen of my paintings. So it will be wending its way "up north" in June. Many readers will know Colin in person  or through his wonderful and prolific blogging Carryings on up the Dale .

And for the wargamers - some reminders of Natasha's other exploits.

In 1756 dispatching a drunken Hungarian Hussar while on a diplomatic mission in Prague

After the battle of Zorndorf as a prisoner of Count Gregorius in 1758 she managed to prove her usefulness to the Count that she became a General commanding his Household Brigade of cavalry.

She got the chance to show off in the Battle of Pepperoni on 22nd June 1760. This was a game which took place in January 2018 and I never blogged about it for some reason. Count Gregorius had been charged by the Empress to lead an expeditionary force of the Grunburg Contingent to attack Savoy from the southern borderlands with Italy. He caught a French and Savoy force defending high ground near the village of Pepperoni. I will spare you a full report (it's a long time ago for my memory!) but I've tried to concentrate on Major-General Countess Natasha Gruzinskaya and her cavalry brigade:

The Grunburg Dragoons (in haute couture for 1760 Grecian style helmets)

The 1st Grunburg Hussars (red and white Hussar uniform with black colbacks)

The 1st Grunburg Leib Uhlanen (red and white Bosniak lancer uniform)

And you can generally spot Natasha as she is the Hussar commander with the yellow pelisse and the um....er...flesh coloured breeches!

Grunburg Household Cavalry Brigade

Grunburg Hussars take on the French Royal Dragoons while the Orleans dragoons are taken by surprise in the rear by Black Hussars

Major General Natasha brings up the Heavy Grunburg Dragoons

But her brigade is split up by the ebb and flow of cavalry action

Causing Count Gregorius (on this day played by South London Warlord extraordinaire Martin Gane) to think really hard.

The Grunburg Dragoons have seen off the other French cavalry and turn on the Orleans Dragoons who are now trapped by the Grunburg Uhlanen and some allied Freicorps infantry

The Freicorps move off but the French Dragoons are trying to fight their way out

After a further round of melee Major General Natasha claims the entire Orleans regiment as prisoners in her first battle for Gregorius. Next time a Division or Wing commander?

As usual with these specialist images, if you post elsewhere you must give me credit as the artist and owner of the copyright, and link back to this blog, thank you.

And if that is not enough please see loads more of my art as well as Military and Hussarette subjects on my new Art website Chris Gregg Art