Art Institute of Chicago

White Dog

Wenceslaus Hollar (Bohemian, 1607-1677)

Date

1649

Medium

Etching on ivory laid paper

Culture

Bohemia

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

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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