Special forces

Higgins displays toys not just for tots

by Leon Nigrosh

FIELD OF DREAMS: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF COLLECTING TOY SOLDIERS At the Higgins Armory Museum, 100 Barber Avenue, through September 5.

Toy soldiers. These two words alone bestir the child in us. Yes, Virginia, all of us -- just ask my daughter. For a few fleeting moments, we can indulge in the fantasy of being omnipotent and omniscient and in total control of others' fate. We move beyond our mundane lives, flooded with the power to send minions off to face glorious victory or certain death, even if the troops are tiny and made of lead. But for the connoisseur, there is considerably more to the art of collecting toy soldiers than this.

Of course, there's the obvious glee at staging skirmishes across tabletops, but what becomes even more important is the accuracy in how these struggles are portrayed. Serious collectors are involved in the stages of acquiring and displaying their miniature combatants involved in historical skirmishes.

First there is the research into the actual engagement to be reconstructed, which often consists of scouring books and records to find out which troops were actually involved. As exhibited in the Higgins Armory Museum gallery, one of the incidents from the British Zulu Wars of 1879 shows that spears and animal-hide shields were no match for the rows of expert riflemen protected by sand bags. Hordes of Zulu tribesmen are whittled down by the accurate fire from three ranks of the red-coated Queen's Men (the Cameron Highlanders 79th Regiment), with officers controlling the fusillades as bagpipers skirl from the rear.

To complete such scenes, collectors search for specific pieces or that missing bit, like those in the showcase that includes a WWI mobile Spanish field kitchen and a British medical unit, complete with horse-drawn ambulance and stretcher bearers who carry the wounded. The network of collectors often assists in corroborating the credibility and accuracy of specific pieces, such as the diorama filled with lead "flats" made in the mid-19th century. These soldiers, arranged to depict the battle of Kahlenberg Mountain in 1683, are hand-painted, flat cast-lead silhouettes of Duke Francis of Lorraine's army and are shown defeating the Ottoman soldiers of Kara Mustafa. Look closely at the battle and you will find the Grand Vizier leading his charging troops.

Occasionally a sharp-eyed collector will discover a historical anomaly, like the set of flats purportedly depicting American soldiers made by Heyde in Germany in the early 1900s. These tiny figures are shown in a campsite, complete with tents, cooking fires, and laundry hanging on the line; there's even a soldier yawning. The only problem is that since the Germans hadn't yet encountered any American troops, they had painted the uniforms red.

In the search for accuracy, collectors also seek unique, quality crafted miniatures, which are usually twice the size of the lead figures and often constructed from several different materials. For example, Charles Caldwell's contemporary figurines of Union and Confederate soldiers are individually sculpted in a clay compound, and then heated and painted. Painstakingly detailed works like these, often commissioned to depict a particular individual, take a step beyond the arena of toys. Other contemporary European and American artists included in this exhibition imbue their sculpted figurines with amazing vitality, precision, and detail. A Run for the Colour pits two mounted French carabiniers against three British cavalrymen, swords flashing, as they race across the battlefield. All of this is a space of less than five inches.

According to director Kent dur Russell, this marvelous exhibit adds another dimension to the museum's introductory and educational programming. "While the museum collects individual examples of arms and armor, we can't show a parade. The toy soldiers can do that. We have a cuirass of a Vatican private guard, but The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace shows which troops are wearing them." In fact, the show's centerpiece, Scotland For Ever, brings Lady Elizabeth Butler's (1844-1933) famous painting of the 1815 charge of the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons at Waterloo to life with clarity. Look closely and you can pick out specific troopers rendered in hand-painted cast lead that match figures in the painting.

It is the historical accuracy, the antique authenticity, and the detail of the figures and scenes such as this that make "Field of Dreams" a remarkable show.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 853-6015.