Dog Symbolism in Art

“Everything we see hides another thing. We always want to see what is hidden by what we see.”

Rene Magritte

Livre de Chasse, French hunting dog book, Département des manuscrits, Français 616 folio 40v, 1387-89, illustrated 1405-10

Dogs in the Art of Ancient Cultures

As far back as the bronze age, we can see that the dog was always a companion to the people. Caverns and tombs, ancient children’s toys as well as pottery show drawings and statues of dogs. The Ancient Greeks valued them for their bravery and faithfulness, and the Greeks and Romans already used them as a symbol for loyalty. For instance, Greek vases often show drawings of Odyseus’s old dog Argos, who waited years for his Masters’ return and who died only after seeing his Master again. Large guard dogs, like the Neapolitan Mastiff, is frequently depicted in mosaics from the Romans.

Image: Ptolemaic roundel from a mosaic floor decorated with a dog and a gilded askos, from Alexandria, Egypt, c. 200-150 BC.jpg

In the ancient cultures of the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, dogs were seen as spiritual companions and symbols of death. Their role was to help the dead cross over into the afterlife. For instance, Anubis is a canine -headed god who helped people to cross over into the afterlife.

Image: Recumbent Anubis MET DP228716. Created: 664–30 B.C. Period: Late Period–Ptolemaic Period

In Ancient Greek culture, the goddess of shadows, sorcery and nightmares, Hecate, was accompanied by her sacred animal, the dog. Hecate and her dogs took care of those who couln’t take care of themselves, such as infants, the elderly or the mentally ill.

Image: Hecate, or Artemis, is shown with a bow, dog and twin torches.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate#/media/File:T16.5Hekate.jpg

To the Ancient Celts, dogs symbolised heroism and bravery, as well as healing. Instead of using them to hunt, the Celts used them to assist in battle.

Image: The Celtic Hounds https://celticsprite.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/celtic-symbolism-the-celtic-hounds/

Dogs in the Art of the Middle Ages (Western Art)

(approx. 500 - 1500)

During the Middle ages, dogs didn’t appear very often in Western art since the subject matter that artists could paint was mostly dictated by the religious institutions. Dogs were generally seen as servants to their masters and nothing more. Instead, lambs and doves were included, as these symbolized Christ and the Holy Spirit (or meekness and innocence), respectively.

Image: 12 Interior panels, by Hubert Van Eyck. This image shows the back panels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_Altarpiece#/media/File:Lamgods_closed.jpg

This portrait of the Cardinal is the first known depiction of glasses (or spectacles).

Image: Portrait of Cardinal Hugh of Saint-Cher by Tommaso da Modena, 1352

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages#/media/File:Tommaso_da_modena,_ritratti_di_domenicani_(Ugo_di_Provenza)_1352_150cm,_treviso,_ex_convento_di_san_niccolò,_sala_del_capitolo.jpg

Dogs in Art During the Renaissance

(approximately 1400 - 1500’s but it’s not a date cast in stone. Writings about of “a rebirth” in poetry and art started as early as the 1300’s already)

During this time, dogs came to symbolise fidelity/faithfulness and artists started painting dogs in portraits of married couples, and a dog in a widows’ portrait symbolised her faithfulness to her deceased husband.

The Arnolfini Portrait (1434) by Jan Van Eyck

In this beautiful portrait, a long-haried Griffin is portrayed standing between a rich merchant and what we can assume is his wife, since only unmarried woman were allowed to wear their hair loose in 15th century Flanders. The little dog is positioned in between the couple, and it has been suggested that he symbolised fidelity or passion.

The painting is fillled with symbols of wealth, such as the imported fruit and the expensive cloth that their clothes are made of, for example, and the dog could be just another symbol of their high social status and riches.

Image: The Arnolfini Portrait, by Jan van Eyck

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfini_Portrait#/media/File:Van_Eyck_-_Arnolfini_Portrait.jpg

During this time, a lot of art was also created showing hunting scenes, which often included dogs. In these paintings, the dog often symbolised the man’s higher social status because hunting was an artistocratic activity.

Image: After the hunt, 1870, by David Neal (1838–1915)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_dogs#/media/File:After_the_Hunt_LACMA_M.72.103.1.jpg

Artistocrats also started comissioning portraits of themselves with their dogs to show their artistocratic status.

Image: Pompeo Batoni (1708–1787) Portrait of Sir Wyndham Knatchbull-Wyndham with a whippet, created around 1758 - 1759.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_dogs#/media/File:Wyndham_Knatchbull-Wyndham.jpg

Now, during the Rennaisance, dogs also started symbolising playfulness, fun and youth, as in this beautiful painting by Titian - one of his most prominent "canine" pieces. In this portrait of the little girl Clarissa Strozzi, who belonged to two of Florence’s aristocratic families, the decorations, which are too heavy for a child, are meant to signify her noble lineage. Titian included the dog to remind us of her young age (she was only two) and to add an element of playfulness to the portrait.

Image: Portrait of Clarissa Strozzi (Clarissa de' Medici)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Clarissa_Strozzi#/media/File:Clarissa_Strozzi,_por_Tiziano.jpg

Titian followed the same train of thought for this group portrait of the Vendramin family. He included the dog, of the same variety as in the Portrait of Clarissa Strozzi, to add an element of humour and playfulness to the painting.

Image: The Vendramin Family (1543) by Titian

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_the_Vendramin_Family#/media/File:Titian_and_workshop_-_The_Vendramin_Family,_venerating_a_Relic_of_the_True_Cross_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

A rather interesting symbolic use of the dog is philosophical cynisism. For this school of thought, the purpose of life is to live a virtous life, in harmony with nature.

For instance, Jean-Léon Gérôme showed the ancient philosopher Diogenes surrounded by dogs, thus alluding to the Cynic school of thought. (The word “cynic” comes from the Anceint Greek word which means “dog-like”. In fact, the early cynics were called “dogs”.)

Antisthenes, who is regarded as the founder of Philosophic Cynicism, believed that one should live "like dogs" — follow one’s nature, be able to defend oneself, be loyal, brave, and noble-minded.

Image: Diogenes (1860), by Jean-Leon Gerome.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jean-Léon_Gérôme_-_Diogenes_-_Walters_37131.jpg

Dogs as an Acceptable Artistic Subject in Their Own Right

Nowadays, we take it for granted that we can paint just about anything we like, and it’s not unusual to see pet and wildlife portraiture in fine art and in galleries. However, it was only relatively recently that artists started depicting dogs as a subject in their own right. I assume that as dog breeds started being standardised, not only did it become more acceptable to paint them, but they also lost some of their symbolism. Nowadays dogs are painted for dogs sake.

For example, in 1831, Edwin Landseer painted a Newfoundland dog called Bob, who had been rescued in a shipwreck off the coast of England. Over the next 14 years, Bob saved more than twenty people from drowning, earning him the right to become a distinguished member of the Royal Humane Society and receive a medal.

Image: A Distinguished MEmber of humane Society (1837) by Sir Edwin Landseer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Distinguished_Member_of_the_Humane_Society#/media/File:A_Distinguished_Member_of_the_Humane_Society_by_Sir_Edwin_Landseer.jpg

Image: Doubtful crumbs (1858 - 1859) by Edwin Landseer

(Previously known as “Looking for the Crumbs that Fall From the Rich Man’s Table.”)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubtful_Crumbs#/media/File:Landseer.doutful.crumbs.jpg

In more modern times dogs might not be used as symbolic images on paintings anymore, but from the proliferation of dog paintings on the web it’s clear that they’re a very popular subject in modern art.

References and Most Enjoyable Further Reading

Books

Animals in Art, Rawson, J. British Museum Publications Ltd, 1977

Dogs in Australian Art, Miller, S. Wakefield Press, 2012

Dogs in Art, Green, S. Reaktion Books, 2019

Websites
https://arthive.com/encyclopedia/4238~Loyalty_status_and_worldview_The_dog_as_an_artistic_symbol

https://artuk.org/discover/stories/painting-dogs-in-renaissance-venice

https://www.bibliatodo.com/En/christian-reflections/look-what-the-lion-the-lamb-and-the-dove-symbolize/

https://mymodernmet.com/arnolfini-portrait/

https://artmejo.com/symbolism-in-the-arnolfini-portrait/

https://www.britannica.com/event/Middle-Ages

https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy/The-early-Italian-Renaissance

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/184/dogs-in-the-ancient-world/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynicism_(philosophy)