Lot 3311: Jagdschloss Solitude/Royal Hunt Fallow Deer Skullcap, 1897

Originally commissioned by Duke Charles Eugene of Wurttemberg in the 1760s, Schloss Solitude (Solitude Palace) was intended as a summer palace and hunting retreat outside of Stuttgart. 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 WWI. 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. Measuring about 31 inches in span with approximately 16 points, this fallow deer skullcap mount is marked in black ink between the antlers "Crown/W/Solitude Park/20.Januar/1897" and is mounted on a finely carved and gilt painted hardwood plaque measuring 19 inches wide and 21 3/4 inches tall with fine pine bough decoration and scroll accents. 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.

Very good, with a few visible cracks in the plaque and minor handling marks overall