A GEORGE II POLYCHROME-PAINTED DUMMYBOARD FIGURE

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These unusually large and well-preserved dummy boards depict Grenadiers of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, 21st Foot Regiment which was raised in 1678 by the 5th Earl of Mar in response to worrisome instability in Scotland. This troop rapidly gained the distinction of becoming a Fusilier regiment, named after the French term of the muskets they carried. After distinguishing itself under the command of the Duke of Marlborough between 1702 and 1712, the regiment achieved prestigious Royal status. This type of dummyboard was primarily used to guard doorways of private houses or inns, but they may also have been placed outside drinking establishments in order to attract recruits. Their large size served to encourage taller potential recruits, as grenadiers had to be at least 6ft. 2in. The figures are represented in the drill position "rest your bayonets on your left arms", and are made of three ¾ inch-thick planks of pine, with the edges chamfered and the whole back painted black. The figure's clothing suggests a period around 1730 when Major General Sir James Wood of Bonytoun, Bt. (c.1661-1738) held colonelcy from March 1727 until his death. Since the end of the war of the Spanish Succession, the regiment had been stationed in the Scottish Lowlands. It was augmented in 1728 when a brief scare arose that war would break out between Holland and Austria, but from 1729 formed part of the Irish establishment where it remained for a decade.

A GEORGE II POLYCHROME-PAINTED DUMMYBOARD FIGURE

CIRCA 1730-40

Details

A GEORGE II POLYCHROME-PAINTED DUMMYBOARD FIGURE
CIRCA 1730-40
Depicted as Grenadier of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, 21st Foot Regiment, in full uniform complete with fusils
86¼ in. (219 cm.) high

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

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