The Military Orders were a very important part of the maintenance of the Crusader States in the Holy Land, and the Hospitallers were very much part of that. Although originally non-military they soon acquired a military function and became one of the most respected and powerful of the Christian orders. This figure shows one such brother-in-arms, 'ready for battle' as Valdemar describe him. He holds an axe in one hand and his shield in the other.

When in battle brothers-in-arms were no different to other knights and sergeants of the time except in details such as colours and decoration, which are not relevant here. This brother wears a mail hauberk with mail covering arms and legs, and over this a surcoat. In our picture he also wears a cloak although this is a separate piece that is optional. His helmet shows the gradual progression from a simple nasal piece to a fully enclosed helm as he has a helmet with a full face visor. Such helmets were appearing by the early 13th century, which is also a suitable date for the rest of his clothing and for his shield, which is of the heater type (and also separate on this model). All the costume and armour is authentic and looks very good.

The usual high standard of Valdemar sculpting is repeated here, with nice proportions and plenty of good textures in both fabric and mail. The separate axe should fit into the ring hand but this hole needs a little widening with a file first. However everything else fits well, and there is no flash to spoil things, so this is a very nice little model.