Lesson 8 Baroque Art: Dogs in Castles and Chapels

 We have examined the many places of dogs in relation to our world through out history. One of these interesting periods where dogs started to take become more meaningful in art is the Baroque. This period is know for dramatic and theatrical art. The lighting is dramatic helping to set the stage. Art isn't as connected to churches and nobility, if you have enough money to spend. With this shift the depiction of dogs began to shift as well. Artists like Rembrandt used dogs and other animals to further the narrative they were creating in their painting. These dogs were different from the dogs depicted more commonly in earlier centuries, the new dog was the King Charles Cavalier. This dog know for being a status symbol because of its lap dog status was named after the famous British monarch Charles the Second because of the similarities between his appearance and the dog's. 

The dog and his name sake

Sources: Dog & King

These dogs show up often in the portraiture of the period. There are many images of the rich and well off of Europe. These dogs were just another way to show off the wealth of those in the painting. This portrait shows the children of the Duc de Bouillon. 

The children and a dog

Source: Here

This portrait of the children of this powerful French aristocrat shows the power and wealth is family has. The children's clothing is heavily ornamented and made in many vibrant colors. It needs to be keep in mind that this is a portrait and the painter could have easily changed some things around to make the family appear more rich than they actually are but this was a very affluent family who were mingling with the royal court in France. This is shown in their dog that is in the side of the picture. This dog is a King Charles Cavalier, the equivalent of having an Saymoyed (the current most expensive dog breed) today. This dog though likely well loved and admired by the family was a status symbol. But King Charles Cavaliers weren't the only dogs that were making a wave in popular culture at the time, there were may dogs that were in art pieces. 

For example this Rembrandt piece has a dog hiding in the corner.

Dogs and Jesus

Source: Here

This dog, though hard to see in this image, has a greater purpose. It is meant to highlight the ideals that good Christians should follow. This is mainly loyalty and purity. These are ideas that we associate with dogs today showing us how far back the mythos of the dog has gone. This is interesting because this dog adds so much to this piece that we might over look. This is interesting to be because of what Rembrandt's art is made by. He mainly does etching. This is a tedious process that involves marking up a metal plate to be the negative for a piece to be printed from. Etching takes a lot of time and effort. The dog in this painting adds to the meaning only if you see it. He is in the shadow away from the main focus of the piece, Jesus. This dog took extra time and effort to make yet many will not see it. This is why I find art interesting. There are more layers the more you look. This piece likely took many hours to complete only the foreground and yet this seemingly insignificant dog was added to help the piece have more meaning.