Josef Mai -- Intermezzo

This figure--bust--exemplifies what I love most about this hobby. . . and the least. Unfortunately, the latter is terminal--at least for this miniaturist.

This is a striking bust. . . no argument. Artistically and technically. . . if not historically. It would be money well spent, even if one were fully aware of the most obvious shortcomings as itemized here. Regrettably, however, they do not stop there: this bust is an onion of errors, and the tears will flow--and flow--IF you consider yourself a historical miniaturist.

Case in point (1): look at the unbuttoned jacket flap on the bust. How many buttonholes do you see? Are we to believe that there are more buttons on the right side--visible or not--than on the left?? It is not only wrong, but, worst of all, this is wanton carelessness! What references was the sculptor using? What was he looking at--thinking?--when he decided to add an extra buttonhole and compress the spatial layout??

(2) The flight cap. How is the strap connected to the buckle? You have a simple frame buckle. . . but no prong!!! Again, wanton carelessness! And yet another imposition upon a miniaturist who paid for the privilege to not only correct, but now complete, the sculpture! [nb: I will probably replaced the "bent" molded buckle with a brass/copper wire one.]

Sadly, most will look upon this as a "slam" on the piece! A dragging through a sty of vilifying mud!! Well, it is indeed a sad state of affairs when stating the honest--if not obvious!--truth is considered too coarse a discourse for polite company. What, pray tell, does this absence of candor provide? If the sculptor and/or manufacturer were so benighted prior to the release, all the vacuous praise in the world will make them none the wiser--or less likely to perpetrate more of the same in future releases!

I am very pleased I did not do my due diligence and did not examine the piece through a magnifying glass--real or proverbial--prior to acquiring it. When I complete it, it will be as faithful a representation of Josef Mai as my abilities will allow. And it will be a prized piece in a collection. That being said, I am sadly reminded that manufacturers--then and now--believe they are doing the source of their livelihood an undeserving favour by providing them with a poorly researched, ultimately incomplete work. It is this blind indifference to ignorance that drove me away from the hobby of historical figure modelling--and will preclude any possibility of an unqualified return.