"The Joiner" (Der Tischler)

In "The Joiner" (A 21) the father is a carpenter. He works at his bench and his child plays at his feet. On both sides of the carpenter and his child are columns built of blocks similar to those you can find in some of Fröbel's "Gifts". On the floor stands a harp. The two columns are joined with a plank alluding to "The Joiner". On the plank stand David and Goliath watching the scene. The picture shows how a carpenter works and also how to join two opposite sides when you build. David and Goliath illustrates the long and the short.

On the earthly plane you can see a father-carpenter who is working in his workshop but in spiritual way the carpenter6) is a symbol of Christ. A harp was Davids instrument and is with its triangular form a symbol of the Trinity. David and Goliath7) are in a spiritual way symbols of good and evil. The two columns, joined with a plank, alludes to "The Joiner" (Christ).

6) In some cathedrals you can see sculptures of Christ as carpenter, for example in La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.

7) Fröbel was inspired of a poem, well known in Germany: "Giant Goliath was once alive, A very dangerous man ...".