Dogs in Art

Christina here. I’ve always been a dog lover so when I finally had some of my own, I wanted them immortalised in a painting. This was the result and I love it! Turns out I’m not the only dog owner with that idea though …

Last week I went to see an exhibition at the Wallace Collection in London which was all about dog portraits. It is the first ever exhibition to explore our wonderful relationship with dogs through art. Right up my street and I wasn’t disappointed! The first sign showed a quote which I totally agree with:-

“The Dog is the most faithful Animal in the World, and beloved by Men.” (Iconologia or Moral Emblems, by Caesar Ripa, English Translation 1709)

Canines have, of course, been our companions since ancient times when they were first domesticated. Their immense capacity for love and devotion have made them cherished companions. Dog owners have been honouring their pets in art from as far back as Roman times (probably longer). The Romans rendered them in mosaics, frescoes and gorgeous marble statues like this one. It’s called “The Townley Greyhounds” and was discovered just outside Rome by an archaeologist, brought to England and sold to Charles Townley. Later it was donated to the British Museum. It’s so incredibly lifelike!

When it comes to drawings, no one can beat Leonardo Da Vinci. Like other Renaissance men, he was fascinated by the natural world and drew whatever he saw from life. His sketches of a dog’s paw are amazing – there was one in the exhibition – and you see the exact texture of the fur.

Aristocrats often included dogs in their portraits, but it wasn’t until the 16^th century that some of the canines got to star in their own. Most were working dogs like those used for hunting or guarding, but some that were merely companions were also depicted. Dog portraits became really popular in 18^th century Britain, and one of the foremost artists was George Stubbs. He created some superb portraits, including the following:-

“Ringwood, a Brocklesby Foxhound” 1792, who belonged to the 1^st Baron Yarborough.

 

 

 

 

“A Lemon and White Water Spaniel” 1784 – Actually a Clumber spaniel who also belonged to Yarborough.

 

 

 

“Turk, a Dog belonging to the Duke of Rutland” 1778 – Said to be one of the 4^th Duke of Rutland’s favourite dogs, who was perhaps a Keeshond or some other similar breed. The way Stubbs has painted the fur is wonderful!

 

 

“Dog of the Havana Breed” 1768 – Jean-Jacques Bachelier

While the men had their hunting dogs and other large breeds, the ladies preferred lapdogs, like this so called Havanese. They were apparently very popular in 18^th century France where Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress, had quite a few little pooches.

 

 

 

 

 

“Lady Archer’s Maltese Terrier” 1787 – George Stubbs

Stubbs also painted Lady Sarah Archer’s Maltese terrier, another lapdog which has (unfortunately in my opinion) had it’s fur cut off to the waist. It’s a lovely little dog though!

 

Pugs were beloved, cute and mischievous, although they didn’t look anything like pugs do today. They were the perfect pet for someone who didn’t want too much exercise. Even so, I always think of the one in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park where I seem to remember poor Fanny had to walk this very spoiled pet when her hypochondriac aunt couldn’t possibly manage it herself. The artist and satirist William Hogarth had one called Trump (yes, really!), and he often painted him. There was even a porcelain figure made of him by the Chelsea Porcelain Factory in 1747-50 after a model by the French sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac.

“Looty” 1861 – Friedrich Wilhelm Keyl

In 1860 Queen Victoria was gifted a Pekinese called Looty by John Hart Dunne. The dog’s name alluded to the fact that he’d been taken (stolen?) from the Old Summer Palace in Beijing when it was looted by the British and French. This made others want dogs of the same breed and they became sought after. Douglas Murray, an explorer, smuggled some out of China in 1896, and officially they were said to be the ones to establish the breed in the UK, although there were clearly others before them.

“Kylin” 1917 – Arthur John Elsley

This beautiful little one, called Kylin, was probably related to those brought over by Murray, as he was owned by his niece Lady Ellen Thomas-Stanford. Definitely my favourite painting in this exhibition! 

 

To me it’s weird to see these referred to as Pekinese as they look more like today’s Tibetan spaniels, which is the type of dog I had. The breed has evolved and they are now two separate breeds – these days a Pekinese looks quite different, at least here in the UK. I have this old photo I found at an antique fair which seems to be from the late 19^th century and shows “The Hon. Mrs McLaren Morrison’s Thibet Spaniels”, so perhaps they were recognised as two breeds already then?

 

“A Saluki Dog” 1840-44 – Edwin Landseer

As owners, we often ascribe human emotions and reactions to our dogs, and some artists took that one step further. They used dogs in allegorical paintings, substituting them for people from literature and myth. Edwin Landseer was one such, and he was very successful in this genre. Personally, I didn’t like those as much as the straight portraits, but to each his own. Either way, Landseer was a brilliant artist and the canines in his paintings are very lifelike. I love how he’s portrayed a Saluki in this one – it’s beautiful!

“King Charles Spaniels (The Cavalier’s Pets)” 1845 – Edwin Landseer

And here are some lovely King Charles spaniels – named after Charles II of course.

 

 

 

 

 

“Lord Byron’s Dog ‘Lyon’ (The Wolf Dog)” 1808 – Clifton Tomson

Lots of famous people had dogs who became well-known. There was no portrait of Prince Rupert’s large poodle Boy in the exhibition, nor Lord Byron’s Newfoundland dog Boatswain (for whom he wrote an epitaph), but another of Byron’s dogs was shown. Supposedly a wolfhound (although he looks very odd to me!), he was called Lyon and must have been well-liked by his owner.

Queen Victoria was a huge dog lover in general and had lots of different breeds, some of whom were immortalised on canvas. She and her husband Prince Albert were also artists in their own right, and often sketched and painted their canine companions. They even took lessons from famous artists of the day, including Landseer. Here’s her watercolour of her two dachshunds. Very cute!

Do you have proper paintings or other types of artwork of your beloved pets, or do you keep special photos of them around? And do you like any of the paintings above?

Comments

[Anne Gracie]

Lovely post, Christina — Milly-dog heartily approves — and points out that I've never had her portrait painted. No, but there are plenty of photos. And my most beloved dog, Chloe, is a screensaver on my computer, long after she walked-bounded-bounced on this earth.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you - I'm so glad Milly approves! I have my dogs as my screensaver too, and the background on my phone. Those photos are precious!

[Andrea Penrose]

What a wonderful blog, Christina! Such lovely paintings—and a perfect quote! Thansk so much for sharing.

I love the portraits you had done of your dogs. Such character. All of the paintings have such personality. I wish I could jump over the Pond to London and see the exhibit!

[Denise]

My youngest sister (of four) always says if it were not for the dog there would be no baby pictures of her and my boys say they want to come back as my dog 😉. I have hundreds of pictures of all our dogs over the years and some small watercolors of the breeds hanging. Special reminders of beloved companions no longer with us. It is interesting to see how some of the breeds have changed and others not so much in your pictures, Christina. I saw photos on Saturday of Cavalier King Charles spaniels and the owners parading through the streets of London after the coronation, looked like they had a lot of fun. Thanks for an interesting post.

[Donna S.]

Loved this post Christina! You made my day.

I have a lovely painting of my beloved little Maggie who was in my life up until 2020. A friend did a little miniature of her from a photo. And I had a portrait of out beloved mutt, MacGregor, done for my hubby as a surprise. It was so difficult for the artist to capture his features as he was so black but I think he managed.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Andrea! Yes, I was very pleased with the portrait of my dogs - it's a bit scary commissioning something when you don't know how it will turn out. Perhaps the exhibition will come your way? I hope so!

[Christina Courtenay]

Oh I missed that Denise, will go and see if I can find photos - I bet that was a lovely sight! And yes, I have hundreds of photos of my dogs too - it's hard to resist when they look so cute, isn't it!

[Christina Courtenay]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Donna, thank you! And how lovely to have a miniature of your beloved Maggie, that sounds wonderful. As does the other portrait. I agree it's much more difficult with a black dog (when taking photos as well!) - my black Tibbie always looked best when he was in the sun so you could see his sweet features!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Woof, Christina! The pictures are all lovely, but my favorite is the painting of your three Tibetan terriers. Wonderful!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you so much! It's obviously my favourite too, but little Kylin and Looty come a close second

[Rosemary]

The pet supply company Chewy has sent me some paintings of three of my dogs and a cat done from photos I posted on their Facebook page, and my husband had a local artist paint me a portrait of two of our dogs. I've also had several photos that I've taken of our cats and dogs printed and framed.

[Christina Courtenay]

How wonderful, Rosemary - I'm sure you will treasure them always!

[Alice Mathewson]

What a charming discussion. In the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, there is a portrait of Callum, a Dandie Dinmont. It is not a particularly great picture but it has hung there for 100 years, as a rich businessman gave his fortune to the gallery in return for the picture of his beloved dog being hung in perpituity

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Alice, so glad you liked it! And what a lovely way to commemorate a beloved pet! That's so touching.

[TexasGal]

The exhibit Christina describes sounds wonderful! Have you been to the AKC Museum of the Dog in NYC?

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, wow! Thank you! I hadn't realized there was a Museum of the Dog in NYC. Will definitely pay it a visit!

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

Christina - I am lucky enough to have a beautiful sketch of the beloved dog-of-my-heart Max, who died in 1995. I was lucky enough to have him for 13 years. I also have photos of him. He was part Brittany Spaniel and part Pointer. I keep his photo on my phone, the sketch in a place of pride in my office. Of all the pictures in your article, I liked the one of Lady Sarah Archer's Maltese terrier, because I've always loved dogs doing "play bows." I've always called it "the bow-and-scrape." Thank you for a lovely post. Woof! (High accolade)

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you! Yes that little dog looks fun and playful - I bet she was a delight to have around. And I love the sound of your sketch and photos of Max - so precious!

[Karen S. Clift]

Excellent blog, Christina! Right after the Westminster Dog Show where the Best in Show was won by a Petit Basset Griffin Verdun (PBGV), first time ever for the breed & the 2nd winner was the Pekinese, and a beautiful one he was! I admit, tho', I loved the PBGV--happiest looking dog I think I've ever seen in the ring & with the name Buddy Holly!

[Teresa Broderick]

A lovely post!! I have pictures of the dogs we've had through the years but no paintings. I would have loved a painting of Merlin, my last dog, who died a year and a half ago. I found it very hard to get over it. He was very special and I would have loved a painting of him!
We had a wolfhound also and that painting that is supposed to be one is definitely weird! Fionn looked nothing like that.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you and that sounds wonderful and I'm so glad an unusual breed won for once! And great name indeed I do love Pekinese but my Tibetan spaniels had an easier time breathing and longer legs so they could run more. I would love to have one of each now.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you Teresa! I'm glad you have lots of photos of your dogs and perhaps you could have someone produce a painting or watercolour from a photo of Merlin? A great idea for a birthday present. And yes, that so called wolfhound in the painting doesn't look anything like any wolfhound I've ever seen! I must say I prefer the present day ones.