Sculptuur van Jens Adolf Jerichau, voorstellend een panterjager, tentoongesteld op de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations van 1851 in Londen 1851

This is a photograph by C.M. Ferrier and F. von Martens of Jens Adolf Jerichau’s sculpture of a panther hunter, exhibited in London in 1851. The sculpture represents a naked man wrestling with a panther, a spear raised triumphantly in his right hand. In 1851, the Great Exhibition showcased Britain’s industrial, military, and economic power, and its art institutions celebrated British imperial reach through works like this. The sculpture references the classical world of Greek mythology, reimagining it through a lens of colonial power and dominance over the natural world. The Exhibition was a watershed moment, as Britain sought to promote itself on a world stage. This photograph offers a chance to reflect on the cultural and institutional conditions that shaped artistic production in the mid-nineteenth century. As historians, we can consult sources such as exhibition catalogues, newspaper reviews, and artists' letters to reconstruct the meaning of art in its original context.