The Electorate of Bavaria spent much of the 17th and 18th centuries trying to expand itself and its influence on European politics, and a milestone in that process came in 1682, when the first standing army was created, including a number of regiments of cuirassiers. In the following years the young Elector of Bavaria, Maximilian II Emanuel, who was married to the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, fought alongside the troops of his father-in-law against the Ottomans and during the Nine Years War, but when the War of the Spanish Succession broke out in 1701, he chose to ally with the French, and participated in several battles against his Habsburg relation and the rest of the Grand Alliance, though at great cost to his lands.
Right from the start it must be said that the figures in this set look very similar to those in the Strelets set of Austrian Cuirassiers, and that is no accident. It was only natural that Maximilian would model his cuirassiers after those of the Habsburg Empire, but it means that Strelets can produce two sets that are basically the same soldier, but one is in battle poses and the other in more relaxed mood, perhaps awaiting orders or on patrol. The latter is what we find in this Bavarian set, for while every man has his chosen weapon drawn and in hand, none look particularly combative, so offer a very useful complement to the battle poses. Since weapons are being held there is clearly some expectation of action, but none are in use, so swords are held upright or resting on the shoulder, and firearms are not being aimed or fired. The trumpeter rests his instrument on his knee, and neither the flag-bearer nor the officer seem to be doing very much. As troops waiting for action these make very appropriate poses, and all are very nicely done.
As we have said, the look of these men is almost identical to that of the Habsburg troops. They wear the lobster-pot helmet, a coat with a cuirass both front and back, and high boots. The trumpeter differs in that he wears a tricorn and has the traditional musicians coat with extra decoration and false sleeves, and wears no cuirass. It is a very familiar refrain, but none the less true, that evidence is not great for the look of these men during the late 17th and early 18th century. While the helmet worn by these men is perfectly possible for their early years, Knotel states that by 1701 they wore the tricorn. The famous Hoffman prints show a tricorn being worn in 1684, which is surprising, and a helmet in 1702, and it does seem that the somewhat old-fashioned look with the helmet did persist in the Bavarian cuirassiers into the 18th century. A further piece of evidence comes from the writings of Jean-Martin de la Colonie, a Bavarian infantry officer, who mentions that in 1703 he wore a metal cap under his tricorn, as worn by the cavalry but not the cuirassiers; the implication being that they wore full helmets and so needed nothing more. The only difference between the look of these figures and those in the Austrian set is that the shortened musket is held butt down in a bucket, but this variance could apply equally to either nationality, so these are accurate for both Bavarian and Habsburg Horse.
In line with the poses of the figures, the horses in this set are all standing and passive. They are the same animals as can be found in other Strelets sets such as those for the British dragoons, but all look to be properly equipped for their current role in the service of Bavaria. We liked all the poses, and given the practice of discharging firearms from the saddle, they will come in very handy for battle situations too.
There seems to be little definite information on standards carried by the cuirassiers, but a square one such as this with fringe and cords seems perfectly reasonable, although it does seem a little large to us at about 12 mm (86 cm) square. As the man is not moving, the left-to-right direction of the banner makes sense, and while it has no design on it, it would be fairly easy to paint one of your choice, or to substitute a paper flag instead.
The standard and style of sculpting is identical to the set of Austrians, which is great, and generally that means these are good-looking figures. Nice details in all the right places, and the trumpeter in particular would be an interesting canvas for painting an elaborate uniform. Most of the seams on these figures are very clean, but in a few places there are lumps of flash, particularly at the end of the sword scabbard and on several parts of the trumpeter. The peak of the officer’s helmet seems to have been missed off too, and the way the men sit on their mounts is not the greatest fit, so a little work is necessary to remedy that. However none of these issues present any serious problem.
Having Bavarian and Imperial cuirassiers that are virtually identical is very handy for Strelets, and for us, as both these sets could serve as either nationality. The main problem with this set is the uncertain dating, but that is not something anyone can resolve, so they are certainly useable for the late 17th century and probably for part of the 18th as well. The quality of the figures is very good both in sculpting and pose, and the small inconveniences of some little flash and the poor seating of the men do not significantly affect the utility of this set. This is the first set to depict the Bavarians around this time, and delivers a major cavalry type for a crucial period in European history, when the Ottoman threat was finally stopped, and the power of France reached its peak and then began to decline. It is also of no small importance that these are good-looking figures too!