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click for more images		 The Two Poor Knights of Christ & the Temple of Solomon
The most famous and enduring symbol of the Knights Templar is the two knights sharing the one horse. In my book, 'The Arms, Armour & Insignia of the Knights Templar' I expound my theory as to how this image was originally arrived at. This interpretation is based largely upon the famous illustration by the mid-thirteenth century monk, Matthew Paris of St. Albans. Thus the Knights wear typical crusading gear of full chain-mail armour and heavy great helms.

This sculpture is approximately 100mm overall. It is carved in solid pewter, which has been polished to a high grade finish. It is supplied gift-boxed with a numbered certificate detailing the history of the subject.		  
Code: CMFFKG367Price: £58.00

click for more images		 Jacques de Molay
Jacques de Molay joined the Knights Templar in 1265, and after serving in the Holy land he began to rise up the ranks of the Templar administration. In 1293 he was elected as the last Grand Master of the Order; for it was during this time that some ugly rumours about the Knights began to circulate. Nobody took them seriously until they reached the ears of King Phillip IV of France. In a series of surprise raids he had all the Templars in France arrested on charges that they indulged in all manner of blasphemies and idol worship. Jacques was amongst those captured that October day in 1307, and he was one of the first to admit to the majority of the charges. This has puzzled historians; but the effects of torture were probably the root cause. However, Jacques had to languish in prison for another seven years before he was finally judged. When the sentence of life imprisonment was passed, he shocked everyone by denouncing his confession as a pack of lies made under duress. For this he was burned at the stake that very evening. Although Jacques remains the most famous of all the Templar Grand Masters as a result of all this, history has not been particularly kind to him. He has been criticized for his lack of leadership during this crisis, and he has been characterized as having, at best, mediocre intelect. I regard this as being rather unfair; and this sculpture tries to portray Jacques in a more human aspect as a prisoner of the French king, with his hands bound, helplessly.

This scupture is approximately 95mm overall. It is carved in solid, highly polished pewter. It is supplied gift-boxed, and it also comes with a numbered certificate which explains more about the history of the subject.		  
Code: CMFJDM368Price: £38.00

click for more images		 The Sleeping Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa (meaning 'Red Beard') led a massive German Crusade to the Holy Land in 1190. However, the ageing warrior never reached his goal, as he drowned en route while trying to cross the River Calycadnus. With his death, the German Crusaders became demoralized. Some returned home; while a small hard-core went on to take part in the siege of Acre. However, all of his men refused to believe that their beloved Emperor had simply died. Legends grew up that he was in fact under a spell which placed him into an enchanted slumber. Deep in a cave under a mountain in Germany he slept until the day that his red beard had grown so long that it had encricled his foot stool three times. Then he would awake and lead a fresh Crusade; and this time, nothing would stop him. This sculpture entwines historical fact with legend: for while Barbarossa is depicted as the Sleeping Emperor of fairy tales, his arms and armour are authentic in detail. Upon his shield is the double-headed Imperial Eagle; though it is a matter of some debate as to whether the double-headed type was used by the Holy Roman Emperors this early on. From the back of Barbarossa's pot helm hang two infulae; which were badges of rank.

This polished pewter sculpture is approximately 99mm overall. It is supplied gift-boxed, and it is accompanied by a numbered certificate which explains more of the history of the subject.		  
Code: CMFSLE370Price: £38.00

click for more images		 Sir Geoffrey de Chargny
Sir Geoffrey was probably the most famous knight of his generation: a real-life Sir Lancelot. He was the trusted lieutenant of two successive kings of France; and he died defending one of them (Jean II) on the battlefield of Poitiers in 1356. However, Sir Geoffrey's other claim to fame is that he was the first recorded owner of the Turin Shroud. We know this because of a lead pilgrim badge that was discovered which bears his coat of arms as well as a representation of the Shroud. This badge has been used as the basis for the shield in this sculpture. Shroud historians have not been slow to point out that when the Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake in 1314, executed alongside him was another Geoffrey de Chargny. This Geoffrey was the Templar preceptor of Normandy; and this story is recounted in depth in my publication, 'The Book of Knights'.

This pewter sculpture is approximately 95mm overall. It is supplied gift-boxed and with numbered certificate which provides a more detailed insight into the life of this fascinating and remarkable knight.		  
Code: CMFGDC369Price: £38.00

click for more images		 The Fisher King
The Fisher King appears in the story which first introduced us to the Holy Grail, 'Li Conte del Graal, ou Perceval' by Chretien de Troyes (circa 1180). He is the guardian of the Grail, but because of his pride he suffers a wound from a lance that refuses to heal. In later versions of the story it is the same lance that pierced the side of Christ; however, in the earliest versions, much of the religious mysticism that came to characterize the Grail stories is absent. Nonetheless, as the Fisher King suffers because his wound begins to fester, so his kingdom becomes a wasteland; and only when the quest for the Grail is successfully concluded will he heal and the land will become once more abundant. This sculpture depicts him in heavy robes and a fur cap because according to the early tales, he swathed himself in fur-lined garments to keep out the cold, which made his wound hurt more.

This pewter sculpture is approximately 105mm overall. It is supplied gift-boxed and with a numbered certificate which provides a more in-depth history of the subject.		  
Code: CMFISH371Price: £42.00

click for more images		 Robin Hood
When I was designing my Robin Hood badge, I decided upon an approach that was more inspired by the traditions of Hollywood. This is because for nearly all of us, our first encounter with the outlaw-hero is watching him being portrayed by Errol Flynn. When, however, I decided to tackle him as a sculpture, I wanted to produce a more thoughtful and realistic interpretation. There is no doubt in my mind that Robin Hood did once exist; but that the character of the ballads is more of an amalgam of several historical people. I am equally sure that the reality was quite different and from our movie-informed notions. Thus I used as my reference material manuscripts like the early to mid fourteenth century Luttrel Psalter, with its illustrations of medieval rural life. Gone are the green tights, fashionably cut leather jerkins and jaunty Monmouth caps. Instead this Robin Hood wears what was pretty standard attire for a medieval yeoman: a simple tunic and a warm hood.

This pewter sculpture is approximately 95mm overall. It is supplied gift-boxed and with a numbered certificate which gives a more detailed history of the subject.		  
Code: CMFROB388Price: £38.00

click for more images		 King Richard III of England
King Richard III remains the most controversial monarch ever to wear England's crown. He became king in 1483 after his nephew, Edward V, had been declared illegitimate and formally deposed. Two years later, Richard was killed defending his crown at the battle of Bosworth. This battle, to all intents and purposes, brought the period known as the Wars of the Roses to an end: and the victor, Henry Tudor embarked upon a campaign to blacken Richard's character. He was portrayed as a hell-spawned hunchback and a murderer; and this process culminated with the larger-than-life villain that Shakespeare depicted him as having been. Modern historians try to take a more balanced view: however, there are those whose passions are roused by the very suggestion that Richard was anything other than a model of medieval kingship. So: even after the passage of centuries, he has the power to excite and inspire. This sculpture is partly based upon a portrait that dates from the height of the Tudor smear campaign against Richard. It is known as the 'Broken Sword' portrait; and when I first encountered it, I found this to be such a refreshing change from the portraits that are normally reproduced, that I decided to include the motif of a broken sword in my sculpture.

This pewter sculpture is approximately 108mm overall. It is supplied gift-boxed, and with a numbered certificate which provides a more detailed history of the subject.		  
Code: CMFRCH306Price: £48.00

click for more images		 The Two Princes in the Tower
The fate of the uncrowned King Edward V and his brother, Richard Duke of York, remain a source of controversy. On the 26th June 1483, the two children were declared illegitimate on the grounds that their father, King Edward IV of England, had entered into a legally binding pre-contract to marry another woman before he took their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, to wife; and as a result, Edward V was on this day formally deposed, and his uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester ascended England's throne as King Richard III. The two children were already lodged in the Tower of London while all these events were taking place; but not long afterwards, they disappeared behind its walls, never to be seen again. The suspicion that they had been murdered by Richard was voiced at the time, especially at the the French royal court; and he did nothing to dispell these rumours. However, Richard's partisans to this day maintain his innocence. Instead, the finger of guilt is pointed alternately at the Duke of Buckingham and then at Henry Tudor, who succeeded Richard as King Henry VII. Some argue that the Princes were not murdered at all, but were spirited away in secrecy, and that they lived on under assumed identities. I am not espousing any particular theory with this sculpture; but I am trying to convey the sense of fear and uncertainty that these two children must have felt while pent-up in the Tower.

This pewter sculpture is approximately 76mm overall. It is supplied gift-boxed, with a numbered certificate which details the history of the subject in greater depth.		  
Code: CMFPRI305Price: £35.00

click for more images		 Saladin
Western artists in the medieval period based their interpretations of exotic subjects upon travellers' accounts and their own imaginations. Portrayals of Saracen warriors, despite being informed by returning Crusaders, are rarely that convincing: however, they have a certain charm that is all their own. It is with this in mind that this sculpture of Saladin, the great Saracen leader of the twelfth century, has been created. Certain elements ring true: for example, the way that he shoots his bow from the saddle; and that he does so as he gallops away from his enemy in a tactic known as the 'Parthian Shot'. The rest of Saladin's costume and appearance is more fanciful. The basis for this aspect of the sculpture has been the delightful illustrations executed by the thirteenth century monk, Matthew Paris; and the famous marginal illustration of Richard the Lionheart jousting with Saladin from the mid-fourteenth century Luttrell Psalter. This is especially evident in Saladin's face in this representation: the hooked nose and bared teeth are exactly as depicted by the anonymous Luttrell Master.

This pewter sculpture is approximately 108mm overall. It is supplied gist-boxed, with a numbered certificate which details the history of the subject in greater depth.		  
Code: CMFSLD304Price: £35.00

click for more images		 Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix
Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix commanded the defence of the Cathar stronghold of Montsegur when it was besieged in 1244. Under his leadership, the tiny garrison fought on for many months against a much larger force. When they could hold out no longer, however, he negotiated for an honourable surrender; the terms of which were that anyone who renounced their Catharism, made a full confession and did penance would be spared and set free: whereas those who held fast in their beliefs would be burned at the stake. About 200 were executed in this way; but the rest were allowed to go unharmed. Pierre-Roger, on the other hand, was too tempting a prize. His name had been on the Holy Inquisition's most-wanted list for too long; so the night before the fortress officially capitulated, he disappeared.

This pewter sculpture is approximately 104mm overall. It is supplied gift-boxed, with a numbered certificate which details the history of the subject in greater depth.		  
Code: CMFMIR303Price: £35.00
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