Verlinden 1/5 Gladiator Bust

[Guest]

Hi Peter very life like.you almost hear him roaring from here.
Very nice.
Pete.

[Steve Jones]

You certainly have his aggressiveness well etched on his face. Good luck with the metal helmet. Has that got sculpted damage like the archers one?

[SteveH]

Morning Peter,

great work on the face, must have been some what like painting inside a cup?

Difficult, but great results.

All that metal should be fun, then all the leather work on the arm, all great effects for your brush.

Looks grey here, and at long last a quiet day after several trips with Anna to the Podiatry department of Huddersfield university.

It has been trips by bus then car to get to were we are now, so no more up early and out nearly all day!

I might even get some work done on my Stug!

Have a good day with the metal, I am sure you have lots of fun

Regards

Steve H

[Guest]

Pete - Thanks. He's yelling ''We who are about to die, salute you!''

Steve J - He's Airfix the Icenian, star gladiator of the British circuit, always resplendent in shining armour and polished leather, so no dents in the helmet. May have one or two scars though....

Steve H - Hope the podiatry sorted some things out - was it for you or Anna? Had some attention myself from the local foot people which really helped. Heard from Katherine yesterday that she's coming back from NZ slightly early so as to avoid flights through China - 2 weeks to go, then more demands on my time! The head was tricky to get at, but at least it proved paintable - the helmet is primed and ready.

[Guest]

The helmet:



To paint this I first gave it a coat of matt black, then sealed it with a layer of matt varnish to protect the base while dry-brushing. I next dry-brushed on layers of Vallejo bronze followed by old gold to build up the tones, then re-asserted the shadows and lines with thinned black and black/brown. The last stage was to pick out the high-lights with pure gold. I'll no doubt do some more tweaking and tidying up, but it's basically there.

[Guest]

The head's finished:

[papa 695]

Fantastic

[Neil Merryweather]

Now that is NICE!
And quite a tour de force from the sculptor on that helmet, too :thumb2:

[Tim Marlow]

Fantastic metal work on that one Peter, face is great as well....

[Guest]

Cheers chaps.

The sculptor, Derek Holmes, was very good at armour and accessories. Less successful with faces and drapery, but you can't have it all.

I've done some research on the figures depicted on the helmet. On the right side I believe wi have Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon the sea god (perhaps our man was saved from a shipwreck?). On the left side is Minerva, goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, and on the crest is Attis, a Greek god symbolising rebirth, or triumph over death. Quite relevant choices by the sculptor.

[Neil Merryweather]

(perhaps our man was saved from a shipwreck?).

I doubt the helmet was originally made for him. I expect he would have inherited it with quite a lot of antecedents..........

[Guest]

Hi Neil.

I've read of some gladiators being the equivalent of the rock-stars of the ancient world. Some were feted by rich patrons and a member of the imperial family hosting gladiatorial games would have spent a lot of money making sure that everything looked as splendid as possible - both Julius Caesar and Domitian are recorded as having had personal teams of elite gladiators dressed in gold and silver armour. The fight was only part of the entertainment with the pompus or pre-fight parade being an important part of the entertainment. Wealthy matrons were often attracted by the charms of gladiators and many affairs were known of, so a personalised helmet could easily have been the gift of an infatuated admirer. Also, a star gladiator was literally a safer bet, so rewarded as such by grateful bettors (as well as there being fight-rigging and all of the usual shenanigans).

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
He is great. Really like the face and the metal work is off the scale.
Jim

[Guest]

Cheers Jim

Vallejo metallics are very, very good, particularly the bronze. I've learned that they have to be applied over a dark background and built up in layers.

[SteveH]

Morning Peter

It has already been said, your metal work is quite sublime, even if you do play it down.

Looks like another good day with either metal, leather or skin as the only things left

I am sure you will have fun whichever you choose to do.

It was Anna at the podiatry unit for her big toes, both with ingrowing nails, which meant 6 visits so far, first by bus, which was a challenge and now by car this week, as I am driving again.

I am sure you will appreciate having Katherine back home a little sooner than planned.

I guess the Chinese Corona virus will have wide ranging effects that none of us will foresee until it happens.

Its yet another grey day here, with double figure temperatures forecast!

Rugby starts too, and perhaps some modelling too, I have a few little updates to add over the weekend, and more planes too!

Have a good day and enjoy the painting

regards

Steve H