Friday 14 November 2008

The Way Forward

I have spent the last couple of nights thinking a lot about this project and getting quite excited about it. The hard decision has been about how to proceed. When I started thinking about doing this (nearly two years ago), I wanted to get to an end point that gave me some miniatures that reflected de Saxes writings.
Thanks to Google (and Jean-Louis for finding it), we now have uniform plates from as near the original as we can get, along with the original text. My plan is, unless someone has a better suggestion, to discuss each part of the uniform in turn. Using the plates from the book, the translation of the text that I have (2007 Dover Publications reprint of the 1944 M.S.P.Co edition) and the translation of the original text that Jean-Louis has kindly offered to provide. This should enable us to start off in the right direction.
Then I only need to learn how to sculpt to areasonable level and we are there!

8 comments:

tradgardmastare said...

I for one think you have come up with an excellent plan and I look forward to the disscussions ahead...
best wishes
Alan

tradgardmastare said...

I have just ordered the Dover edition for under a fiver and will read up on things!
Alan

abdul666 said...

Sound and solid!
Just e-mail me which parts you wish to have translated (from 18th C. french to pidgin English, I'm afraid) and in what order.
Cheers,
Jean-Louis
P.S.: do you really intend, in the meantime, to totally drop "your" reconstruction / 'vision'? You had a promising start.

SteveI said...

Alan
For the cost, the Dover book is good to have. However, having seen how much of the original is not in it does become a little less interesting. Still worth having though. I look forward to the discussions and to all the input we can get.

Jean-Louis
I have adjusted the settings so that you can edit posts. If I post a quote from the Dover edition in Blue, could you post your translation of the original in red? (Or any other colour, just so we can easily see where the quotes are coming from.) If that will work, when I post I will include the chapter number and segment title etc so you can see where the quote is from.
I guess if we can get a different view of the words used it will help (e.g. the wigs - this is not mentioned at all in the Dover edition)

As to the original reconstruction, I do intend to finish the started figure. Unfortunately I sculpt slowly and poorly so will devote most time to the newer style.

Cheers
Steve

tradgardmastare said...

Steve
where can one obtain De Saxe in translation and complete- do I take from your posts it is not availble ? I looked at the Wikepedia article on De Saxe and it had a link to an english version of De Saxe. Sadly the link did not work!!
Alan

SteveI said...

Alan
I've yet to find one, but the link given last night to the french version combined with the dover edition works to a reasonable level
Steve

abdul666 said...

Steve
OK of course, though I'm by advance ashamed of the poor English of my 'working translations' (that's why I suggested we use e-mails, so that you can edit the translation -translate it again in good English!- before it appears on your blog...).

Jean-Louis

Frankfurter said...

First of all, I've seen much worse sculpting work on "commercial" figures ... but then again, I started playing with figure in the '60's.
:)
Secondarily, my wife and I like to support "private" creations ... as she is an artist / writer and I was teacher / writer. If and when you do start casting these, do you think you might let your friends and cyber aquaintances support your vice like Frank does??
:)
Arthur
PS: the type in verification for me was "losess" ... which just about describes my gaming
LOL