Painting Horn?

[Big Insect]

Yes, yes, yes ... let's get the jokes out of the way now shall we  

This post is about guidance/thoughts on how to paint split horn armour.
I am embarking on a 28mm Sarmatian army project - Sarmatians being hard charging, ancient nomatic, horse culture, from just north of the Black Sea.
In the 2nd centuary AD Pausanias describes their armour as follows:

"These mares they not only use for war, but also sacrifice them to the local gods and eat them for food. Their hoofs they collect, clean, split, and make from them as it were python scales. Whoever has never seen a python must at least have seen a pine-cone still green. He will not be mistaken if he liken the product from the hoof to the segments that are seen on the pine-cone. These pieces they bore and stitch together with the sinews of horses and oxen, and then use them as breastplates that are as handsome and strong as those of the Greeks. For they can withstand blows of missiles and those struck in close combat."

Trajan's column also shows Sarmatian heavy cavalry - as both allies and enemies - with scale armour for rider and horse (although the sculpture was clearly working from a poor 2nd hand interpretation of what the horse armour looked like). Anyway ... I digress.

My question is around what colour paint, to use to depict this horn scale armour.
Pausanias' observation that they looked like green pine cones is a starting point, but that doesn't necessarily mean the armour looked green.
I had thought about a light/very pale khaki might work, but I am not sure.

Anybody have other thoughts?
Thanks

Mark

[Matt J]

I think he means green pine cone as in one that hasn't opened.

My own thoughts are that the Smartian armour was painted, hell they painted everything those days, can't image cavalry running around in just drab split hoof coloured armour. Have absolutely no evidence for this but would look damn cool and no b*gger could argue otherwise 

[Techno]

Have absolutely no evidence for this but would look damn cool and no b*gger could argue otherwise 

What about the photographic evidence ? 

I totally agree with you, Matt.....Going so far back, an awful lot of this has to be 'best guess'.....But who really knows for certain.

Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Hooves are either a bone colour or brown/Black basically finger nail/ceratine again.
There I was planning to paint mine bronze...

[Big Insect]

I am with you on the painted (or maybe lacquered?) idea Matt, far more colourful. And yes, I agree green as in immature not necessarily green in colour.

Can you dye horn? I have no idea.

On the bronze scales Lemmey - maybe for the riders and maybe for the elite ones at best I'd suggest - but the general view I get from my reading is that this is not a very wealthy or metal rich culture.
The Sarmatians, or a branch of them ultimately become Alan (or Alani) and the western branch heads off into Brittony and even joins the Vandals in crossing to North Africa. We know little about them except that they seem to have been mounted archers (in N.Africa anyway). The Eastern branch are around until the C12th/C13th as they team up with the Catalans in Byzantine service, and then fall out with the Catalans (but everybody does!) but they are armoured in iron mail and use lances by that time.

Sarmatians were thought to be the originator of the 'dark age' Gothic horseman - and it is Sarmatians (& Goths) that inspired Tolkien's Rohan.

[Ithoriel]

Close up of Javanese scale horn armour - looks like ML may not be far off.

[Big Insect]

Very interesting Ithoriel - thank you

More of a golden honey colour, than a flat green/white of a 'horn on the hoof', so to speak.

Whilst looking to see if dyeing horn was possible I came across the Worshipful Company of Horners - now why didn't I think of them in the 1st place ... Doh!!!
https://www.modip.ac.uk/exhibitions/natures-plastic

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Fab site BI

Blimey, I got something right! 

[FierceKitty]

Useful pic, Ithoriel.

[Terry37]

I have seen the reference to "green" scale armor, but cannot help but think that is in error, unless they dyed it. All the hooves I've ever seen are a khaki to a taupey-gray color. So that is what I would use. I also use these colors for painting the hooves of my horses.

Terry

[Noktu]

If you're after a boney look. I'd probably do a base of Army painter Skeleton Bone (Beige). Proceed to Wash with AP Strong or Soft Tone, highlight 50/50 Beige/white mix. A final highlight just a point dabbed with white or 80/20 white/beige mix.

And if you want to paint fast, beige base, white drybrush on top, wash with AP soft/strong. Mid brown wash could also work.

[Big Insect]

Thanks Noktu

Speed but a nice effect is important as there are over 54 28mm cavalry involved in the army! Before the 3 command bases and a couple of light cavalry types. It's a pretty binary army.

Cheers

Mark

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Only 54 ? Given the distance in time and lack of evidence I'd say any colour you want it ! The usual problem being that as ancients dyes weren't colourfast they faded fast.

IanS