Early Dog Portraits

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Throughout history portraits of dogs were showing up. People were beginning to see how dogs affected everyday living by showing it in their artwork. I love dogs which is why I chose to do a paper on them. Dogs are loyal, friendly, and good companions when you need them. They are furry friends you can trudge through the snow with you when your friends are sick. They are hamburger snatchers that leave you the bun while they walk off with the meat. They can be your alarm system letting you know someone’s on the property that’s not supposed to be there. Dogs have instincts that sense when bad weather is coming, and they let you know about it. Artist found all this out and showed it in their portraits.

The earliest portrait of a canine is on a stone made by the Babylonians. The dog looks to be a type of mastiff with its owner right next to it. It is a profile portrait since it shows only one side of the images. The owner has a leash on it meaning he is going hunting, or he is just walking his dog. Another portrait was excavated in Egypt by William Flinders. It’s more of a carved portrait of a dog that looks to be a small companion dog. During the time of the Egyptians and Greeks the dogs were different then they are today. The dog could be an earlier type of companion dog that has died out. The Maltese breed was popular during that time period, so it could be an earlier type of Maltese.

Different forms of making ancient portraits were by using mosaics. One mosaic of a dog was found at the Alexandria building site. The dog looks to be an earlier breed of terrier and half hound dog. He was probably used for hunting instead of a companion due to his size. The mosaic dates to the second century B.C which is around the Ptolemaic Pe...

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