introduction

YS Masterpieces added another fantastic bust to the 1821 Hellenic Revolution series. After the Freedom Fighter, Captain and Papaflessas busts, this time it is from the other side of the batte order; one of the commanders of Ottoman Army- Ibrahim Pasha.

about the figure

As the revolts in Greece grew fast and turned to a civil war, the Ottoman Sultan II.Mahmut negotiated with Mehmet Ali of Egypt, who agreed to send his son Ibrahim Pasha (also known as Kavalali Ibrahim) to Greece with an army to suppress the revolt in return for territorial gain. Ibrahim landed in the Peloponnese in February 1825 and had immediate success. By the end of 1825, most of the Peloponnese was under Egyptian control, and the city of Messolongi—put under siege by the Turks since April 1825—fell in April 1826. Although Ibrahim was defeated in Mani, he had succeeded in suppressing most of the revolt in the Peloponnese and Athens had been retaken.
Following years of negotiation, three Great Powers, Russia, the United Kingdom and France, decided to intervene in the conflict and each nation sent a navy to Greece. Following news that combined Ottoman–Egyptian fleets were going to attack the Greek island of Hydra, the allied fleet intercepted the Ottoman–Egyptian fleet at Navarino. Following a week long standoff, a battle began which resulted in the destruction of the Ottoman–Egyptian fleet. With the help of a French expeditionary force, the Greeks drove the Turks out of the Peloponnese and proceeded to the captured part of Central Greece by 1828. As a result of years of negotiation, Greece was finally recognized as an independent nation in May 1832.

box

The bust comes in YS Masterpieces blue cardboard box. The front cover shows a photo of the bust painted by master painter Danilo Cartacci.
Inside the box,you will find a small paper with contact info of the company, a certificate with a unique CAC number for the product telling this is a limited edition of 350 samples and high quality painting reference with many photos of the bust from different angles. Historical research of the bust was made by Costas Rodopoulos.
Parts are well organized and sandwiched between two slabs of thick polyfoam to avoid the risk of damage and small parts are placed into a plastic bag.

parts

The bust is sculpted by master sculptor which I believe the best sculptor for the busts Carl Reid and made up of 9 resin parts in light grey color. All parts are cast clean and crisp in very good details. There is not much need for a serious clean up, filling or sanding. A fast clean of some thin resin excess will make it ready for painting.

Head : Facial details, eyes, ears, moustache and beard are well defined. A long cloth sash is wrapped around his head to form an Ottoman Sarık style headdress usually worn by high ranked Ottoman officers. On the upper front of the headdress, there is a small part to assembly the feathers given as a seperate part.

Torso : He wears a collarless shirt with no buttons named Gomlek and an open front vest with no buttons and a very low collar named Yelek. The collar part and edges of the vest has gold color trims and it shows discoid and triangular golden thread decorations in front on both sides. There is also a branch-style decoration on the upper back of the vest. Under the vest, a golden cord crossed on the right shoulder to serve as a sword belt to attach the scabbard. A wide cloth sash is wrapped on his waist and is used as a weapon belt for pistols.

Right arm : Posed to twist his moustache, the cloth folds on the wide sleeve are well represented. The sleeve is decorated with ten quite big round metal buttons in a row.

Left arm : Posed to grab his sword, cloth folds and buttons are well defined.

Sword : He carries an Ottoman sabre called Shamshir , a narrow blade with a deep inner curve. On the hilt, it has short quillons-cross guards and down curved rounded pommel which were typical in oriental swords. The hilt of the sword, top and bottom parts of scabbard are nicely decorated.

Pistoles : He has two Ottoman Kubur flintlock pistols on his belt. Pistoles are richly decorated in silver and brass. Note that these parts need some cleanwork on the trigger and hammer parts.

Feathers : Named as Sorguch, this part is used as a decoration and a symbol of authority on the front part of Ottoman headdresses.

Pedestal : Part to support the bust is given as a seperate part.

conclusion

Absolutely another top quality bust from YS Masterpieces in great sculpt with crisp details and high quality cast. Not only for the fans of the period but a colorful piece for all bust painters.

Please see bottom for the photos of the bust painted by Cartacci.

Very Highly Recommended