Eikentak en jachttrofee 1866

Curator: So, we are looking at an engraving from 1866 titled "Eikentak en jachttrofee," or "Oak Branch and Hunting Trophy" by Michel Liéenard. I wonder what strikes you first about this print? Editor: Hmm...melancholy, almost sepulchral, even though it's meant to be decorative. Like, this would be hanging in a drafty manor house where the only joy is fox hunting. Is it just me? Curator: Not just you, I think that the style of academic art with a penchant for portraiture can create that somber atmosphere. And the piece does seem steeped in a tradition where hunting trophies were indeed badges of honor and masculine power. Note the juxtaposition, though. We have a somewhat severe, almost Romanesque face at the very top set amongst a wreath of oak, which seems to watch over this rather...shall we say 'harvest' of dead game. Editor: Yeah, the details are kind of grim when you dwell on them! The poor limp rabbit, the feathered corpses all neatly bundled with...is that a hunting horn? There's such a strange, decorative elegance imposed on such finality. Is there an underlying statement being made? Curator: Perhaps it is reflective of the artist’s own life, you know, an insight into his life during that period? Liéenard was working in a period of industrial revolution, maybe hinting at the tension between idealized nature and the controlled landscapes sought by the aristocracy? It definitely is playing with ideas around nature, control, and display. And remember, engravings like these would have served as templates, almost clip art, for other artisans. Editor: Like, "Hey, Jacques, slap this dead hare motif onto the new dining room wall, will you?" That practical element certainly cuts through some of the somber pretension. I do find the oak branch parallel interesting, too. On the left, separate but balanced, vital in contrast with the...depleted bounty on the right. Curator: Exactly, the single oak branch emphasizes themes related to life. By employing two panels and through the careful use of medium, it’s hard to tell whether there is intention, or if it’s merely coincidental, or indeed whether one panel can ever exist without its binary equivalent, which has long ceased to exist. Editor: It's funny, isn’t it? How something intended as ornamentation can evoke all these bigger questions! It feels very telling about how we want to tame both nature and art itself. Thanks for making me see it differently. Curator: My pleasure! It has also changed my perspective; there is a stark contrast and subtle commentary that can never really fully be put into words, but there are always interesting elements in something that might appear decorative or ordinary.