Monday 24 December 2018

Mystery grenadier


These pictures depict grenadiers but no one knows what country. Any guesses?

2 comments:

Grenzer John said...

The text appears to be German. The southern German states tended to prefer the fur cap over the mitre cap for grenadiers. So... just guessing here... Bavaria? Wurttumburg? One of the Swabian states?

Anonymous said...

This appears to be a plate from a military manual engraved in 1730 or so by a certain Johann Jacob Wolrab, member of a family of engravers from Nuremberg. Couldn't find more specific information on either artist or book except for these links:

Another plate from the manual:

https://www.google.ch/search?biw=966&bih=646&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=angjXM3sLIjbwALlz6XwDw&q=hand+grenade+1730&oq=hand+grenade+1730&gs_l=img.3...80314.83182..84038...0.0..0.56.510.12......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i7i30j0i7i5i30j0i8i7i30.t-122JAfca4#imgrc=NJNLCrQ_dtK8dM:

And a facsimile edition of the manual itself published in 1962 by the Museum Restoration Service, Canada:

https://www.bookfinder.com/search/?author=wolrab+johann+jacob&title=&lang=en&isbn=&new_used=*&destination=ch&currency=CHF&mode=basic&st=sr&ac=qr

Considering that the engraver was from Nuremberg the soldiers depicted may belong to the Nuremberg contingent of the so-called Reichsarmee.