"Prussian 12th Cuirassiers, 7YW facing color?" Topic

I just black-primed 16 Old Glory 15mm Prussian cuirassiers to do at the 11th Cuirassiers (2 squadrons), and 16 to do as the 12th. The 11th had light blue, or rich sky blue facings (I'll pick my own color – "artistic license"), but Engelman/Dorn show the 12th with a light orange – looks like white mixed into regular orange, rather than the French "Aurora."

Funcken's 2nd volume on the Lace Wars shows a very definite light brown for facings.

Either color would please me, for they surely won't be confused for any other nation's Cuirassiers on the game table.

Can someone give me his or her opinion on what the facing color should be?

GdeP

Bleckwenn, who is trustworthy, states that around 1742 "orange with a visible tinge of red" was introduced as facing colour for this regiment (K12: Kyau, 1759: Spaen, 1763: Dallwig).

Hello, Oliver:

Another color is heard from! This is getting too close to Scarlet!

Amazing that Funcken would show the light brown.

By the way, you show an amazing range of interests on this site!

GdeP

It is hard to describe colours with words …

Bleckwenn adds that this shade of orange would be very similar to the brick red of K6. He describes this brick red as lighter than the red of K1.

Looking at Bleckwenn's plates, the shade of K12 is brigther than that of K6, a bit like a dull orange (my description).

In his magnigficant book on the Prussian cavalry before 1806, Kling gives the name of the colours as "orangerot" (orange red) for K12, "Hellroth" (light red), later "Hellziegelroth" (bright brick red) for K6 and "Ponceauroth" (this was the "ordinary" Prussian shade of red) for K1 and K 13.

On his plate to p. 56, for 1742/3, Kling gives K12 a shade of orange which is darker (!) than that of K6 … on the plate to p. 57, for 1792, K12's orange red is brighter than K6, and on the same plate, for 1806, both seem to be of the same shade.

I don't know why the Funckens would use brown, maybe they copied a bad image in bad light ? Anyway, their plates on the 1813 Prussian are not reliable, so I wouldn't put too much faith in their other Prussians, if experts like Hans Bleckwenn and Constantin Kling contradict them (even though they contradict each other and themselves in the visualisation of the shade).

Anyway, especially red colours would fade easily at these times, and the shade would also vary from one supply of new facing colour cloth to the next.

Cheers,

Oliver,
just interested in interesting things

I am doing 15mm figures. If you were painting Austrian Cuirassiers, you would have red facings for all but one regiment – Alt Modena with dark blue.

What color would YOU use for the Austrians, and what color for K12 in the Prussian service? The Old Glory Prussians have multi-level cantlepacks that help make them look different, but I'd like to have a clear color difference.

I enjoy your interest in interesting things!

GdeP

Well, I don't know for the Austrians, but for K12 I would just use the shade of orange which is at hand.

Today I have been painting my 12th Prussian battalion. I have 4 musketeer battalions of 48; 4 fusilier battalions of 48; Le Noble as 36 plus 8 jagers; and now Kleist at 36. I used Old Glory French "Chasseur de Fischer" 15mm figures as the von Kleist infantry from the end of the war. Not as much conversion done as I would have liked (file away the gaiters to make tight breeches; file the boot cuffs down; ignore the pointed cuffs; etc.), but they will do for wargaming. They were not right for Fischers. I am painting them with the mirleton as is, but in a green called "thicket" (mid-dark green, lighter that "forest" or "rifle" green) for the coat, faced with "sage" green for the cuffs, vest and breeches. A red sash, red turbacks, and quickly done. I see so much variation in the actual records of Kleist, but only found this "sage" or "earthy light green" for the officer vest and breeches. "Artistic license."

The point is that I am not slavish to the correct colors, nor to the need to have them in the correct Hungarian-type vest. So I like your idea for orange, probaly with a couple drops of red – enough to look different from the Austrians. Part of the fun of the hobby it conjecture!

GdeP

Orange.

Make it a dull orange…and you'll be safe!