Knights of the Codex Manesse (1 Viewer)

[johnnybach]

And here's a pic that I had been waiting to see, myself. My first two knights of the Codex Manesse - preparing for the joust.

I've left the helmet off Herzog Heinrich von Breslau in the first pic - and put it on him for the second one. Now that paint and varnish has dried hard - the helm slips easily on and off - without fouling the paintwork on the face. I also gave the inside of helm a few light twirls with an emery mop - to make double sure there were no small rough spots left. You may note that I added a coif around the helm too. It is lightly cast in - so I just emphasized it with some dark blue and white. A slight change from the original picture - but looks better for it, I think.

I'm quite pleased with the pennant on the lance of my second figure, Herr Hartman von Aue - so will keep the idea of using folded and glued foil (peeled from inside a margarine tub), for possible use in future projects. A firm - yet flexible material - and when glued - goes off quite hard.

And one last pic - together.

 

[nmrocks]

Your doing a great job with the Hearaldry JB Herzog Heinrich von Breslau is real artistry!
Ray

 

[johnnybach]

Your doing a great job with the Hearaldry JB Herzog Heinrich von Breslau is real artistry!
Ray

Thanks Ray - but in all honesty, I'm struggling a bit with some of the illustrations. It looks to me, as if at least some of the illustrators were probably given just an idea of what appeared on the shield - (if there was one) of "The Knight" ( if he actually was one) - and were then asked to produce a picture of a mounted knight.

Evidence of this - runs right through many of the pictures - as they seemed to think that just painting on more pictures of shields on horse caparisons - was enough. I'm not keen to reproduce any of these - so will have a closer look at what could be possible.

One I'm looking at is Herr Goesli von Ehenheim (number 197). He looks quite believable - though strangely - no shield. The horse caparison, however, looks intriguing and is certainly a possible - though funnily enough, I may have to make up a shield for him - with the caparison forming a guide for the emblems on it!

I'll have a good look around for any more info on him first.

Here's an interesting web-site - that appears to be exploring this area - I'll have a good read tomorrow. jb

http://coblaith.net/Heraldry/Manesse/cresttablec.html

 

[johnnybach]

Here's a couple of pics to update on how Heidrich von Frauenberg is progressing;

I have completed the first pass at the main body of the figure - and have just fitted the lance arm. I have the shield and sword to fit yet - to existing pins I preplaced earlier. Once these are on - I can clean up the whole figure - and re-touch any faults before varnishing. The helm, of course, is a detachable one - and has yet to be completed too - but note the flying griffin (to better match his shield) already affixed.






I have chosen my next figure - who will be from page 197 in the Codex, as planned - but won't be the knight I thought he was. After a day spent researching who was who on that page - I find that my chosen knight is a bit of an enigma - in that he isn't named - but I now know quite a bit more about him - but that will be for my next post. jb

 

[johnnybach]

Here's the story on my next choice of knight - who appears in the picture below, from the Codex Manesse ( on page 197) - which is titled Herr Goesli von Ehenheim.



Now, on this page, there are three mounted figures shown - and silly me - I took a shine to the figure on the right, who is carrying a sword - and whose horse had a rather interesting caparison. He is being charged by another knight - with very little decoration - other than a couple of blue-birds perched on his and his horse's head.

Sad to say - I assumed the more interesting character was Goesli - however, I did check - and he isn't our Goesli at all. After delving deeper and deeper into trying to identify exactly who he was - I found that others have tried ( and failed) in the past.

I looked at some research from a Swedish gent named Steen Clemmensen ( link: http://www.armorial.dk/german/Manesse.pdf), which was MOST interesting - and found that the two figures in the foreground were highly likely to have been part of groups described as " Turniergesellschaften 'Pssitticher unt Sterner' "

Not to bore you too far - further links unearthed the fact that these were in fact two competing aristocratic Tournament Societies,which had been formed - who regularly organised tourneys - and had members (Turniergesellschaften), who competed under their various banners. My chosen figure in the foreground is almost certainly a member of one of them - which was known as "The Order of the Star". Many members were former Crusader Knights - and the horse caparison which attracted me - has a six pointed star as one of the emblems - whilst the other decoration could be a grail.

I could get no further than that - and no name has emerged - but I think I can safely say, my chosen Knight is an anonymous member of The Order of the Star, and maybe was a former Crusader. I liked nearly everything about him - including the caparison and his matching surcoat, even his helm with decoration I have seen before - with a cockade and two upright blades either side of it. The cockde is still partially gilded - as is the one on his horse's head - so this could merely be part of the deterioration in the document. He has no shield - but neither does his opponent - so I will do as the original artists frequently did - I'll make one up - using the caparison as a guide.

So.................no name - but an interesting character, nevertheless - and I will call him simply "A Knight of the Order of the Star" - though this should not let him be confused with the FRENCH Order of the same name - which was something quite different - and to be well over 100 years in the future. jb

 

[nmrocks]

Here's a couple of pics to update on how Heidrich von Frauenberg is progressing;

I have completed the first pass at the main body of the figure - and have just fitted the lance arm. I have the shield and sword to fit yet - to existing pins I preplaced earlier. Once these are on - I can clean up the whole figure - and re-touch any faults before varnishing. The helm, of course, is a detachable one - and has yet to be completed too - but note the flying griffin (to better match his shield) already affixed.






I have chosen my next figure - who will be from page 197 in the Codex, as planned - but won't be the knight I thought he was. After a day spent researching who was who on that page - I find that my chosen knight is a bit of an enigma - in that he isn't named - but I now know quite a bit more about him - but that will be for my next post. jb

Wow! those are some wild colors, is that shades of purple? don't think I've seen such a pattern or colors since the 60's?^&grin
Ray

 

[Ivanhoe]

You sure have made some progress.

The caparison colours are great.

The horse legs are a wonderful job of painting.

I am amazed at how you have developed sources for so many parts over the years...however I suppose a Griffin is easier than "turkey legs" !

Thank you

 

[johnnybach]

Wow! those are some wild colors, is that shades of purple? don't think I've seen such a pattern or colors since the 60's?^&grin
Ray

I used to have a shirt like that Come to think of it - must have been in the 60's - but they say if you can't remember - you must have been there!!

I had to mix the colour Ray, Ivory, Crimson and a touch of blue. Add a bit more of crimson to get it pinker - a touch more blue to get it darker. The picture shows it all the same colour - but looked too bland that way. jb

 

[johnnybach]

You sure have made some progress.

The caparison colours are great.

The horse legs are a wonderful job of painting.

I am amazed at how you have developed sources for so many parts over the years...however I suppose a Griffin is easier than "turkey legs" !

Thank you

Thanks buddy. The more you do - the more you get to know where to find the bits you may need. First stop for me - for Knights - is Dorset Soldiers - who have just about the best spare-parts department I know of. I don't know who makes turkey legs - but wouldn't want them if I did.

I have all the other bits on the figure now - but still some finishing work required. jb

 

[johnnybach]

Herr Freidrich von Frauenberg rides again! Well, at least my version oh him - on his warhorse. Here's a few pics below - but please note that I'm NOT repeating my earlier mistake of showing him with his Great-helm on YET!

Paint and varnish takes longer to go off completely hard in winter - so I'll wait until it is really hard - before donning his helm for another few pics. So I'll wait a few days - and show him again with his other comploeted chums from the parchment pages of the Codex Manesse.

I am making steady progress on my latest "Knight of the Order of the Star" , who is currently under the brush, so more of him later. jb

 

[johnnybach]

A few more pics - to include my latest "Knight" from the pages of the Codex Manesse. This time (left figure) is my anonymous "Knight of the Order of the Star" alongside Friedrich - now wearing his helmet with Griffin - wings outspread.

I have shown my newest figure with a few additions which don't appear in the original version. Firstly, I have given him a shield - and used the decoration of his horse caparison as my inspiration. As I also think it is highly likely that this knight with no name was a member of The Order of the Star ( see explanation earlier in the thread), I have added in a Star to the headgear of both knight and horse. Note also the addition of two upright blades on either side of the cockade on his helmet (again - shown without gilding in the original). I have seen this type of decoration before - on "The Lutteral Psalter" - which figure I made in another thread. I( made both "blades" from a piece of lead sprue, cut and filed to shape.

Here's a few pics below - along with the original Codex pics - for easier comparison. Just one more coat of varnish to go on both - for protection - and then I will show all four again.

Then, I think I'll take a break fro the Codex Manessa - as I think I'm less in favour of making up missing details than I first thought - which just aren't there for many of the pictures of so-called "Knights" shown in its pages. Many of the guys included were certainly well educated, for the time. They could read and write - and certainly many came from noble families. They were poets and musicians - some were minstrels and composers - but the desire to show them as "Knights" was maybe one celebrity step too far?????? Maybe not - as many movie stars, singers, song-writers, politicians and even poets - STILL get "knighted" today. jb

 

[johnnybach]

Here's a pic of the four of my new "Knights from the Codex Manesse" - or should I say, my version of them. Fun to do - certainly - but not without looking in a bit more depth at just who I was trying to portray, this time. A fascinating document - and a rare survivor it certainly is - but a factual document???

I'll leave others to judge. jb

 

[nmrocks]

Here's a pic of the four of my new "Knights from the Codex Manesse" - or should I say, my version of them. Fun to do - certainly - but not without looking in a bit more depth at just who I was trying to portray, this time. A fascinating document - and a rare survivor it certainly is - but a factual document???

I'll leave others to judge. jb

Regardless of the basis in fact your ability to bring the pages to life is an outstanding JB, the colors are great!
Ray

 

[Ivanhoe]

Really like the third picture with him coming at you, couching his lance.

Beautiful work !

Thank You

 

[Ivanhoe]

Cannot pick a favourite of the four...great figures !

Since Medieval is the area I like the most, watching the progress and completion of these has been very enjoyable.

Appreciate it so much !

 

[johnnybach]

Cannot pick a favourite of the four...great figures !

Since Medieval is the area I like the most, watching the progress and completion of these has been very enjoyable.

Appreciate it so much !

Thank you - that's nice to know too. My favourite was the first one - The Duke - Heinrich von Breslau. He's the one that got me interested into looking deeper into the Codex Manesse. I too have an absolute fascination for the Medieval period - and the heraldry of the time.

My wife ( The Commandant)also likes him the best - though she thinks the caparison would make a nice set of curtains!

Ho-hum! jb

 

[johnnybach]

Really like the third picture with him coming at you, couching his lance.

Beautiful work !

Thank You

I've read that when jousting, the rider would keep his head up to guide his lance at a chosen spot - but a split second before impact, would sharply lower the head - to minimise the possibility of fragments of splintering lances from entering the eye slit in the helm.

You may have read of the death of King Henry II of France - who died from wounds received whilst jousting, in precisely this manner. jb