Lot 30

BIEDERMEIER SHOOTING TARGET

The oldest shooting clubs in the Czech lands are documented as early as the 17th century, but they experienced their golden age from the late 18th century and especially throughout the 19th century. Around this time, there was a gradual shift from “shooting at a bird”—where shooters aimed at a bird figure—to shooting at painted targets. These were often created by renowned painters (E. G. Doerell, among others), so they frequently never even made it to the shooting range but were instead hung directly on the walls of shooting clubs as decorations, and shooters would then aim at a less expensive target. Interest in shooting competitions was enormous—the aristocracy, townspeople, women, and clergy all participated. The competition did not always have to be won by the most accurate shot; in some cases, the deepest shot prevailed. Similarly, the winning shot did not always have to be as close to the center as possible; the donor of the target could specify which part of the depiction was to be aimed at, and the target thus shifted in various directions. In the 19th century, shooting societies—uniformed and organized along military lines—were essentially the main driving force behind community life (they also organized balls, lectures, fireworks displays, etc.) in the ethnically German towns of the Czech borderlands. The set of three shooting targets from the early 19th century offered in this auction undoubtedly originates from this period. In this case, the target measures 105 x 97 cm and is dated August 11, 1817, at the bottom, the date of the shooting competition. The top section bears the donor’s name, which is unfortunately no longer legible. The large number of marks indicates the active participation of shooters, whose goal here was apparently to hit as close to the center of the target as possible. The circular scene inside the target depicts the globe, upon which eight cherubs—or rather, their heads in the clouds—are blowing from the sides. Also in the clouds, in the upper part, are stylized representations of the Sun and perhaps the Moon, with three zodiac signs between them: from right to left, Taurus, Leo, and Cancer. The German inscription running along the bottom and lower parts of the scene (Bleibt unbewegt, wen alles sich regt – Remain still, even when everything moves) is likely good advice for contestants before they take their shot. Similar targets are today prized specimens in domestic museums and castles, and they rarely appear at auctions. Their value is manifold—in addition to their artistic and aesthetic value, they also hold great historical significance, as they are silent witnesses to the long-vanished social pastimes of the nobility from the century before last.