|
|
|
|
|
Cavalier Art & Collectibles
By Doreen Zieger Pineknoll Farms Cavaliers In Costume Stately, regal, and poised; this is usually how we see dogs depicted in paintings of the past. It is rare to see the human subjects in a painting actually interacting with the animal; you are more likely to see the dog posed either on the lap or next to the human subject or merely part of the background. It may be a beautiful portrait but it doesn't tell us much about the dog and the people who loved it. In this issue I sahre with you two paintings; in both works the spaniels depicted have been dressed in costumes to amuse their human masters. When you consider the lack of other diversions such as television, radio, and the internet at the time these paintings were created it is easy to understand how important people’s pets were to them. Pets provided not only companionship but entertainment; even with all of our modern diversions this is one thing that hasn't changed. We still find that our pets have a talent for making us smile and most of them at least own a fancy bandana or two. The first painting was created by Charles Dominique Eisen who was a French artist (1720-1778). The small spaniel has an unusual haircut on his tail but his little red suit is very dapper; the whole ensemble is topped off with a small hat. One of the two elegant ladies that he is dancing for seems to be holding a musical instrument of some type, perhaps a tambourine or mandolin. The painting is entitled "The Dancing Dog" and can be viewed at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. The next piece was done by Jean Honore Fragonard in 1780. Fragonard (1732-1806) was a well- known French artist who depicted Cavaliers in several of his paintings. Although these two dogs are also dressed in costume, the piece differs a bit from Eisen’s work. The expressions on the faces of the human subjects in this painting show much more emotion than in Eisen’s piece; the two children on the right seemed to be very amused while the young girl on the left looks more ike she feels a bit sorry for the dogs. We also can see the expressions of the animals, who do not look as amused as their human counterparts. You can almost hear the young girl with her arms outstretched saying "Stay!!". This piece was found on Carol Gertsen’s Fine Art website and is entitled "Education is Everything". © Doreen Zieger
|
Thanks for stopping by!
Designed, hosted and
maintained by: |
