Part of the Kaiser Wilhelm II – Jagdschloss Favorite Park Collection, from Favorite Castle, Ludwigsburg, Germany. The trophies are primarily from three of the Kaiser’s hunting lodges (jagdschloss) in Germany. The mount is marked with the royal cypher of King William II of Württemberg. William II was King of Württemberg, from 6 October 1891 until the abolition of the kingdom on 30 November 1918. He was the son of Prince Frederick of Württemberg (1808–1870) and his wife Princess Catherine Frederica of Württemberg (1821–1898), daughter of King William I of Württemberg (1781–1864); his parents were first cousins. In 1870 Württemberg took the side of Prussia in the Franco-German War. In 1871 Württemberg became a State of the German Reich, a significant limitation on its sovereignty. Despite living in a landlocked kingdom, William II was a ship enthusiast. The king was instrumental in the establishment of the Württembergischer Yacht Club (formerly "Königlich Württembergischer Yacht-Club" or Royal Yacht Club of Württemberg) in 1911 on Lake Constance. King William became a Generalfeldmarschall during WW I. In 1918, he was deposed from the throne along with the other German rulers. Considered to be a popular monarch, he had the habit of walking his two dogs in public parks in Stuttgart without bodyguards or the like, being greeted by his subjects with a simple Herr König ("Mister King"). William finally abdicated on 30 November 1918. Mounted on a finely carved and gilt painted hardwood plaque, the skull cap features a 19-point rack with a 27 inch span, and is marked in black ink "Crown/W/Favorite-Park/2.Novbr./1899" between the antlers. The base itself is decorated with a set of raised carved pine branch and pinecone designs, and measures 18 1/2 inches wide and 21 1/2 inches tall. Located near Ludwigsburg Palace and overlooked by Schloss Favorite (Favorite Palace), Favorite Park was a hunting ground/menagerie frequented by high level German nobility, up to and including the Kaiser himself. These trophies have survived traversing the Atlantic, two world wars, and the ravages of time and have been curated over a period of 40 years through descendants of Kaiser Wilhelm II, private collectors, auctions and individuals in Europe.

Excellent, with light handling marks.