This is a beautiful set of 19th-century Black Forest Austrian Fallow Deer mountfrom Eckartsau Castle Archduke Franz Ferdinand & Kaiser Wilheml II. The Castle of Eckartsau in Austria was Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s (heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) estate from which these antlers were taken. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the owner of the Eckartsau Palace, had it turned into a hunt castle. Today Eckartsau is now a museum, were many of his trophies are displayed. The Eckartsau Hunt Castle would host Ferdinand’s family and various dignitaries included hunts with King Wilhelm II, the last King of Prussia and the last Emperor or Kaiser of Germany. A group of the trophies were acquired by a collector and imported into the US. The royal trophies in the collection were from both the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Eckartsau Estate and Kaiser Wilhelm II, Eulenburg Estate. The fallow deer taxidermy mount is wonderfully and professionally crafted with a skull cap present attached to the two fallow deer antlers (the taxidermy has been treated to give patina and whiten the skull cap). The fallow deer mount is mounted on a walnut Black forest decorated shield that is expertly carved with traditional Black forest design. The taxidermy comes with antique Habsburg antlers from the Eckartsau Castle of Emperor Franz Josef in the Southern Austrian Alps, a favorite hunting Schloss of the Habsburg family. Part of The European Hunt Collection, this grouping of antique hunting trophies from Royal and Noble families of Germany & Austria has been examined and appraised by James Supp of Coronado Trading Co., who is best known for his work. The condition of this Fallow Deer mount is preserved with some wear to the carved shield and a colored patina adorning the antlers but otherwise shows a preserved condition. The measurements of this fallow deer mount are 30 1/2" x 20 1/4" x 13 1/2". The collective weight of this mount is 5lb 6oz. Provenance: From a prominent ex-Bozeman private collection who purchased the majority of his collection from Cowan's, Skinner, Bonham's, Morphy's, Sotheby's, March in Montana, North American Auction and other well revered auction houses.*