Guard of the Battalion Guard Grenadiers. Prussia circa 1716. (frontal, rifle at foot, 54 mm) The Giant Guard (Red Life Battalion Grenadiers) from Potsdam. These were the famous "Long Guys" of the Soldier-King Frederick William I. The proverbially thrifty monarch spared no expense when it came to procuring tall men as recruits for this troop he loved from all over Europe. The size of the soldiers in the "Potsdam Giant Guard" may well have had practical reasons: Tall men were expected to be better able to handle the preferably long-barreled muzzle-loading rifles and thus to be able to shoot at greater distances.
Group
Flat Figure(s)
Condition
unpainted
Scale
Size 54 mm
Material
Pewter-Alloy 55%Sn 39%Pb 6%Sb
Number of parts
9
Epoch
18th Century
Time
1712 - 1786
State
Second Hand
Nationality/Location
Prussia
publisher
Berliner Zinnfiguren
Not a toy! Not suitable for children under the age of 14!
