De gebraden gans 1828 - 1937

Oehmigke & Riemschnieder created this print titled ‘De gebraden gans’, or ‘The roasted goose’, using an etching technique. The cartoon-like panels are filled with visual and textual narratives that touch upon themes of greed and class relations. At first glance, you see well-dressed men enjoying a feast, waited upon by women and children who seem to serve and observe. But look closer. There is a disruptive element: a dog. The dog seems to be the agent of chaos, eventually devouring the roasted goose that is at the center of the narrative. We can read this as a commentary on the social hierarchies of the time, and the disruptive potential of those who exist outside of those structures. Consider how the artists use a domestic animal to undermine a scene of bourgeois excess, almost as if to suggest that even the best-laid plans of the wealthy can be upended by unexpected forces. This work reflects a world where social order is constantly negotiated and sometimes humorously disrupted.