Italian military, napoleonic era.
AK075 combines an unmistakably Italian tank shape with conspicuous German crosses. King & Country’s Afrika Korps M13/40 has a compact riveted hull, a rounded turret and a crew figure visible at the open hatch.
Blue headgear, a pink-toned garment and a tall polearm make this Venetian sailor an unusual medieval subject. The figure brings the armed maritime world into a collection more often filled with knights and battlefield infantry.
Tall headgear, red trousers and a dark horse give this mounted honour guard an elegant ceremonial outline. The subject represents the southern Italian monarchy, while its dealer date range needs to be read with care.
Red clothing, armour and a walking horse make Morosini an imposing mounted portrait. Del Prado’s cavalry series includes this Venetian naval commander and doge, showing how a mounted figure can represent status as well as battlefield service.
A soft cap, dark field uniform and compact standing pose give this Italian Ardito a practical appearance. The figure introduces assault infantry to a First World War collection without relying on an elaborate action scene.
Light headgear and a practical field uniform set this Italian corporal apart from European winter-war subjects. The 1935 Abyssinia label places the figure in Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, before the Second World War began in Europe.
The rider sits upright while his chestnut horse lowers its head. Green clothing, white straps and a tall plume make this a quiet, readable Del Prado cavalry subject from Napoleon’s Kingdom of Italy.
Murat’s spectacular clothing can overshadow the complicated career beneath it. This mounted portrait represents a cavalry leader who rose to a throne—and eventually tried to preserve that throne by breaking with Napoleon.
In January 1944, American infantry tried to cross a river below Cassino. In February, bombers destroyed the monastery above it. In March, the town itself was devastated. Only in May did the defensive system finally give way. Those were not four repetitions of one battle: each attempt changed the ground, the armies and the choices available to the next.
Before Eighth Army tried to break the Axis line, it tried to make the enemy look in the wrong direction. Dummy vehicles, disguised tanks and a false pipeline helped create a battlefield that could be misread from the air. El Alamein began not only with guns in the night, but with weeks of work on what an observer would think he was seeing.
