Cossacks Escorting the Regimental Cassone 1815

Editor: This is "Cossacks Escorting the Regimental Cassone," a pencil drawing and print made around 1815 by Johann Christoph Erhard, currently housed at the Met. The detail is really striking. What do you see in it? Curator: I immediately think about the production of war itself. Erhard meticulously details the figures, yes, but what about the physical labor of dragging that regimental chest? Notice the wear on the cart, the visible strain, implying the wear on the horses and the man leading them. Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn't thought of it that way. It does give you a very different view than just focusing on the military might of the Cossacks. Curator: Precisely! This image isn’t just about glorifying military campaigns; it exposes the material realities that enable them. Consider the "Cassone" itself – the contents, their purpose. Uniforms? Documents? Food? Everything here hints at production chains and material dependencies that sustain military action. Editor: So you’re saying it’s more about the ‘how’ of war than the ‘why’ or ‘who’? Curator: Exactly. It moves away from idealized heroism to the concrete elements: the metal of the weaponry, the leather of the saddles, the cloth of their uniforms. Look at the way Erhard meticulously renders the harnesses; doesn’t that suggest something about the craftsmanship—the labor—involved? Editor: I see what you mean. It’s less about individual bravery and more about the entire logistical operation, almost. The human and animal power needed to move a military. Curator: And let's not forget the viewer’s role in all this: Erhard presents these Cossacks not as distant figures of power but as members of a labor force we are made witness to. How might considering this piece through the lens of materiality reshape our understanding of Romanticism? Editor: That's given me a whole new way to appreciate historical drawings. It's really made me think about what it took to mobilize entire armies. Curator: It brings the ‘real’ cost to light, doesn’t it?