When looking at this cabinet at first I did not notice the hunting scene until I zoomed in. I could see hunters hunting deer. It looks more like a mass slaughtering for sport instead of survival. The deer look like they couldn’t even fight back, which is usually the case with deer in the woods. You can see lion heads carved into the cabinet as well at the bottom of the pillars in the middle where the hunting scene is. It stuck me as odd to have two angels sitting so gracefully onto. Maybe it could be for them saying that we are strong but also merciful. This cabinet look very detailed and skillful at first glance. I know the Franco-Prussian War was before the 1876 Philadelphia World’s Fair, so the deer may be depicted as the French empire being slaughtered in battle and the hunters are depicted as the Germans winning victory over them and thus winning the war. Almost as a way of showing pride and gloating about their victory.
As I looked at more research about this cabinet, I came to find that “no iron nails or screws are used, and glue is entirely dispensed with”, Ferris said in his book “Gems of the Centennial exhibition” (pp.126). It seems to look expensive but was actually cheaply made. It is carved by hand though, but just cheaply put together. The scene on the cabinet was skilfully charged that it resembled “a painting in neutral color” (pp. 126). This cabinet showed the taste and skill of the German people. This showed Power and Pride in a new form. Power was shown in their skillful craftsmanship, and also shown in the hunting scene as they are a strong force. This also showed the theme of Pride since the Germans were showing their skill and that they were a force to be reckon with. They were proud of their countries treasures and what the German people made.
Centennial Exposition of 1876 