So, the Polish commander at Beresteczko was the Polish-Lithuanian king, Jan II Kazimierz Waza. He was an interesting fellow... besides his period as elected king, he also served as an officer in foreign armies and occasionally entered the clergy as well. He looked like this:
Now, this portrait is from about a decade after Beresteczko. I figured that in battle he probably would have left behind the fancy sleeves (because I certainly didn't feel like sculpting them). Also, I don't know if cravats were trendy yet in 1651 either, so I was willing to leave that out as well. After some consideration, I decided to use
this version of Charles I of England. Warlord and TAG are usually my go-to companies for this era, but Bicorne's version really sold me on its haughty demeanor.
But, of course, Charles' delicate Stuart features and luxurious facial hair needed fixing. I had to file off the goatee and the tips of his mustache, then sculpt on a slight nose extension, some bangs and additional hair, and a proper Habsburg lower lip (Jan II was a Vasa through his father, but had Habsburg blood through his mother, and it shows.) Also I changed his preexisting medal to an Order of the Golden Fleece.
And then I painted it. I'm not much of a detail painter, but I put a bit of extra effort into the face. I don't know if it paid off. Haven't painted the horse yet, I'm not sure if I want the tack to be red/white Polish colors, or blue/yellow Vasa colors, or neutrals.
