"Templar caparisons" Topic

So I was looking at some wargame website last night(don't remember the site) and found a reference to the "famous black and white caparisons" of the Templar order in the Holy Land. I realize that it has become quite popular to paint Templar caparisons this way, but I can't find any source for it other than analogy from the Beauseant banner. My admittedly brief attempts online have not produced an actual source for this color scheme. Can someone point me in the right direction if such exists? My Templars are awaiting paint….

Thanks,

John

Trouble is that textual original evidence is not consistent or detailed enough to come up with "one look" for any of the orders. The Teutonic Knights are arguably the best represented in artwork. Templars wore white and brown (serjants). Hospitallers wore black all around, and until the mid 13th century it was the monkish robe, the cappa clausa. The hood and long sleeves and ankle length hem were ditched in the 1240s, iirc. The famous red surcoat with white cross bleeding off the edges came in 1254, again iirc.

Templars remained the same until their eradication in the early 14th century. I am not aware of any specific references to horse housing or caparisons throughout the period. As wargamers we like our troops to look pretty. So paint up a variety of caparison styles that are consistent with the black and white. It should all be good…….

Thank you, Great War Ace. That is largely consistent with my research, I was mostly wondering if I was missing something, since the Beauseant inspired caparisons seem to be everywhere these days.

Nicholson refers to the San Bevignate frescoes
link

Swampster – THERE IT IS! a primary source….

Thank you.

Well done, Swampster. One fact is worth a thousand speculations in these matters.

The Templar church at San Bevignate is well worth the visit; just a shame that you're not allowed to take pictures and (as at 2015) there was no guidebook available.

link

Thanks Swampster for the source – just finished some Templars, I got black and white but not quite like the picture ……

John