The Death of Lannes: Essling, 1809 

One of the Emperor’s most daring and talented commanders, and a personal friend accorded the rare honor of using the familiar “tu,” Marshal Jean Lannes lost his leg (historians debate which one) to a cannon ball on the second day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling. “I am wounded; it is nothing much,” he reportedly said. Yet while Chief Surgeon Dominique Larrey treated him immediately, and he lingered for a week, he did not survive. Initially buried in Les Invalides, he was reinterred in the Panthéon in a grand ceremony in 1810.

This box was partially inspired by the famous painting of the event, but also by the possibilities of using some unique lighting (the late-afternoon sun coming through the partially destroyed roof of the farm building-turned-field hospital, as well as the brighter light outside the entrance). I also wanted to see how my skills had improved at animating Historex parts since my earlier boxes. Finally, I thought it was fitting to show the aftermath of the battle at Essling as a sort of tribute to Shep Paine’s famous Historex diorama, “The Eve of Essling.”

Here are some views of the work in progress and some additional shots of the finished box. It started with the two central figures, Napoleon and Lannes (although I painted them last), adding figures as needed (and not strictly following the painting) to fill out the scene and tell the story. I often position figures on styrofoam, using a piece of graph paper to transfer the positions to the final base of the inner scene. The idea of the light coming through the beams of the distressed roof was a “happy accident” when I notice the light from the overheads above my workbench casting interesting shadows. (You’ll notice there is no roof in the painting.) While I wound up using a lot of Historex parts, the final figures (with the exception of the Grenadier standing guard) were at least 50/50 white plastic and putty, sometimes more. I do love those vintage pieces, though!