Edgar-William Brandt
la Biche dans la Forêt (firescreen)
circa 1924
A delicate style of figural portrayal in vogue from the early 1910s until the mid-‘30s, this wrought-iron piece features a young deer, probably male, who pauses idly amid a web of coiling stems and fantastical blossoms. Perched, its left front leg slightly raised, it appears uncertain as to whether its attention has been caught by something friendly or deadly. Framing and employing this moment as the décor of a screen was undoubtedly clever of Brandt, because it reveals the psychology of not only a common creature of prey, but also of oneself. Consider that the deer’s behaviour places the viewer in the role of either the friend or foe, asking of them to determine which of the two they might be, and from this developing an instant dialogue, a muted conversation, between the onlookers. Though in a permanent form, the frozen, studious deer symbolises a second’s hesitation; a fleeting moment of calm or confusion; a brief slowing of time about to be suddenly resumed - inviting the deer in either the direction of an instinctual interest or sending it in that of imminent safety. Its guard dropping, the deer now blinks, its breathing becoming steadier. So which of its lures will prove strongest: the fire, or you?
