During his recent visit, Arthur Harman presented me with two 25mm figures painted by the late Bill Brewer. They are of Napoleon ...
...and his mameluke bodyguard and secondary vale, Roustan Raza.
Roustam Raza was an Armenian and born in Tbilisi, Georgia, to Armenian parents. He was kidnapped when he was thirteen, renamed Idzhahia, and sold as a slave in Cairo. He was presented to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 by the Sheik of Cairo, and served as Napoleon's bodyguard and secondary valet until 1814, when he settled down after the Bourbon Restoration and married Mademoiselle Alexandrine Douville in Dourdan, France.
Roustam did not follow Napoleon into exile in Elba, and although he offered to serve the Emperor on the latter's return to France, Napoleon refused to see him and he was replaced by Louis Étienne Saint-Denis.
...and his mameluke bodyguard and secondary vale, Roustan Raza.
Roustam Raza was an Armenian and born in Tbilisi, Georgia, to Armenian parents. He was kidnapped when he was thirteen, renamed Idzhahia, and sold as a slave in Cairo. He was presented to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 by the Sheik of Cairo, and served as Napoleon's bodyguard and secondary valet until 1814, when he settled down after the Bourbon Restoration and married Mademoiselle Alexandrine Douville in Dourdan, France.
Roustam did not follow Napoleon into exile in Elba, and although he offered to serve the Emperor on the latter's return to France, Napoleon refused to see him and he was replaced by Louis Étienne Saint-Denis.
Full of old school charm and a bicorne full of old school dust.
ReplyDeleteJim Duncan,
DeleteThey will get a light clean with a soft brush before being given a place of honour in my display cabinet, and will only be used on the tabletop when I fight a really big Napoleonic battle.
All the best,
Bob
A thoughtful gift to go with your Del Prado figures, even more so if you knew Bill.
ReplyDeleteGonsalvo,
DeleteThese two figures were a much appreciated gift, and will be given pride of place in my collection.
All the best,
Bob
Lovely additions to your collection.
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteThey certainly are!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be confused - they were painted by Bill Leeson, translator of the Prussian Kriegsspiel.
Regards,
Arthur
Arthur Harman (Arthur),
DeleteOops! In my rush to write this blog entry I managed to mix up my Bills!
Thanks for correcting my error.
All the best,
Bob
Very nicely done...and colorful, like it should be!
ReplyDeletePhil,
DeleteThe are, aren't they ... and they have pride of place in my collection.
All the best,
Bob