Sculptuur van een jager en een hert door vermoedelijk Jean-Baptiste Joseph Debay, tentoongesteld op de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations van 1851 in Londen 1851

Editor: This bronze sculpture, likely by Jean-Baptiste Joseph Debay, titled "Sculpture of a hunter and a deer" was displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. It strikes me as incredibly dramatic, depicting a life or death struggle. What's your interpretation of it? Curator: From a materialist perspective, it’s interesting to consider the bronze itself. Bronze production in the 19th century was undergoing significant industrialization. Were Debay and his foundry embracing new mechanized processes or consciously upholding traditional methods? The Great Exhibition was, after all, a showcase of industrial progress, right? Editor: Good point! So, this piece would have been seen alongside new technologies? Did that change how it was viewed at the time? Curator: Absolutely! Consider the social context: the rise of the industrial working class, increasing urbanization, and debates surrounding the value of handmade versus machine-made objects. This sculpture, with its classical style, embodies a sort of artistic labour seemingly in opposition to the mechanized production happening around it. Who would have been able to afford such an artwork then? How does the content reflect wealth distribution? Editor: That makes a lot of sense. It seems less like a simple depiction of a hunt and more like a commentary on the changing role of labor and value in the industrial age. Curator: Precisely! Even the chosen subject matter — a heroic, almost allegorical, hunter — speaks to a romantic ideal increasingly detached from the lived experiences of many during this period of accelerated technological and social change. It serves as a powerful statement of materiality and consumerism during the 19th Century. Editor: That completely reframes how I see it. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! It is always exciting to examine material means.