Italian School, Sec. XVIII, Portrait Of A Dog

Italian School, sec. XVIII

Portrait of a dog

Oil on canvas, cm 48 x 40

Frame, cm 58 x 48

This canvas depicts with extreme precision and attention to detail a small dog that, with some differences due to the evolution of the species over the centuries, must be identified with the ancient breed of pugs. Originating in China and imported into Europe from the seventeenth century, these small animals were immediately considered as excellent pets for noble or upper-middle-class families; The small size, the peculiarity of the breed and its exoticism made that the pugs spread very quickly, beginning to appear also in works of art. In addition to inspiring friendship, affection and loyalty, transmitted by the dogs depicted in works of art already in the past, the pug could also represent a kind of symbol, rich accessory for the noble ladies of high society, who were therefore well disposed to show off their pet in the intimacy of their own living room. In this case the dog becomes the protagonist, without being accompanied by human figures or other background elements: the pug stands out against a dark background while a light from the left projects its shadow on the perimeter plane with a curved edge. The short, cream-colored hair, darker on the back and lighter on the abdomen, the curled tail and the small black ears cut off, as it was used to do before the nineteenth century, are typical of the species, as well as the glassy eyes, which are disproportionate in size compared to the short and rather flattened snout. The figure stands out with three-dimensionality and volume in the background, the chiaroscuro are attenuated, despite the bright cut, by a shimmering color of the hair made with uniformity and thicker strokes in some places and with a lenticular care of each single tuft in others.