About this artwork
Images of dogs in the early modern period could have allegorical or moral meanings or simply offer literal portraits. Wenceslaus Hollar’s profile study of a popular type of dog likely presents its sitter as a status symbol as well as someone’s pet. While the untamed lion-like mane could belong to a small poodle, this engraving is sometimes thought to represent a Bolognese dog, an Italian breed owned by and portrayed with members of the Gonzaga family in the sixteenth century and later idolized by Catherine the Great of Russia.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Wenceslaus Hollar
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Title
- White Dog
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Place
- Bohemia (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1649
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Medium
- Etching on ivory laid paper
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Dimensions
- Plate: 7.7 × 12.2 cm (3 1/16 × 4 13/16 in.); Sheet: 15.5 × 21.2 cm (6 1/8 × 8 3/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of James Wells
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Reference Number
- 1984.125
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/102180/manifest.json