Dogs in art!

This month, Artist, Educator and Co-presenter of the Art Channel Grace Adam casts an expert eye over the depiction of dogs in art through the ages

In my book, dogs are essential creatures. You may or may not agree, but they have populated painting and sculpture for thousands of years as companions, guards and hunters. They can represent status, loyalty, fidelity, truth and healing. Anubis judged souls to see if they would be rewarded with eternal life. In fact, in many religious traditions dogs are tasked with keeping humans and their souls in order; policing thresholds, so of course we have made likenesses of real and imagined dogs for centuries. For the Ancient Greeks, Cerberus was the fearsome three- headed hound guarding the gates of Hades, ensuring the dead and the living stayed where they were meant to be.

In Saudi Arabia, there are two UNESCO world Heritage sites; Shuwaymis and Jubbah. Once lush and green, they are now desert and are home to the oldest known depictions of domestic dogs.

Scribed into the surface of the rock, (petroglyphs) packs of 20 or so large dogs accompany humans on the hunt, and some of them are on leads! Known by local Bedouin for centuries, known to the rest of the world since 2001.

This impressive home security system relied on a visual warning: a mosaic of a large lean hound with bared teeth, plus an axe and a shield. As well as sending a clear message to n’er-do-wells, these images were about warding off spiritual trouble. (Often the household didn’t have a dog, but as a thief, why take the risk?) This particular chained beast protected an ostentatious house in Pompeii – home to a wealthy local politician and his family. The square mosaic tesserae are made from local Mount Vesuvius basalt.

Dogs are all over the place in the Medieval world – on plates and in paintings. They misbehave in tapestries and sit on tombs. Clearly being a cossetted house dog was preferable to being in a cold kennel. Hawking and hunting required huge hounds. Ladies kept toy dogs. Taking your dog/s to church was common practice and really hacked off the monks and priests. There are catalogues of complaints. They ‘oftentimes trouble the service by their barkings and sometimes tear the church books’. Despite causing a bit of trouble, some ended up being immortalised in those very churches. All over Britain are wonderful, acute depictions of dogs with tomb effigies of their owners. Knights, ladies and churchmen rest their feet on faithful dogs – sometimes generic, but often real portraits of beloved canines. If you see a tomb of a married couple, the dog often represents the wife’s fidelity to her husband.

In this expensive marble memorial in Italy, the faithful wife Ilaria is guarded by her dog, who playfully tugs at her skirts. The sculptor observed its curled tail, shining haunches and affection for his mistress beautifully. Closer to home in Bury St Edmunds is the tomb of Sir Robert Drury and his wife Ann. Between them, they have three dogs at their feet: two playful dogs at hers and an elegant greyhound from the family crest at his.

Greyhounds have always been popular with artists. Elegant, fast and almost unfeasible, their distinctive form became synonymous with Art Deco.

Look at these fabulous sleek beasts. The artist has visually pared down the greyhounds to the very essence of greyhound – the canine equivalent of a Formula 1 racing car.

This column is dedicated to Albert and Mr. Tips

Grace Adam is running three art W O R K S H O P S at Walpole Old Chapel: a PAINTING WORKSHOP on Saturday 30th May, 2-4pm; a DRAWING WORKSHOP on Saturday 13th June, 12–2pm; and a COLLAGE WORKSHOP on Sunday 12th July, 10.30am-12.30pm. For further information and booking, visit graceadam.co.uk/workshops. Also, visit YouTube for the latest Art Channel video: Hans Holbein’s ‘The Ambassadors’ in the National Gallery, London.

Featured images – supplied