An unusual find at the Toy Soldier Show last weekend were these three figures from the "Medieval Knights Battle" series made in Germany by Babette Schweizer, the oldest manufacturer of zinnfiguren still in existence.
I was drawn to the group because they are unusually large for flats, measuring 95mm from the base to top of the helmet. I also liked the shape of the horse' head and neck together with the accurate portrayal of long spurs which gives them the look of illustrations from a medieval woodcut.
The style of armour appears to be 15th Century and they have retained their original paint, happily sword and lance on these two are also fully intact.
It was suggested to me that this was Joan of Arc (it isn't), while I thought maybe Richard III (not him either!) because his standard has a rose engraved on it although the colours are those of the Holy Roman Empire.
There are by far and away more books on Zinnfiguren than any other genre of toy soldiers and as I started searching for more info on these knights my friend Claudio de Angelis not only identified them for me but very kindly sent me the picture above which shows the complete set in the Babette Schweizer catalogue, the designs for the set were commissioned from the artist Hans Rohm in 1908 and they are still available today.
The firm was founded in 1796 by Adam and Monika Schweizer. Babette Schweizer ran the firm from 1872 until her death in 1896 after which it was run by her son Adam who retained the business in her name. After 230 years it is still run by the same family, the current owner being Karin Schweizer.
