page_title: Cultural depictions of the dog
section_title: Middle Ages
hierarchical_section_title: Cultural depictions of the dog / Middle Ages
caption_attribution_description: Crop of the painting The Arnolfini Portrait Artist Jan van Eyck &#160;(circa 1390–1441)&#160;&#160;&#160;Alternative namesJean van Eyck, Johannes van EyckDescriptionFlemish painter, draughtsman and manuscript illuminatorDate of birth/deathcirca 1390before 9 June 1441Location of birth/deathMaaseikBrugesWork locationThe Hague (1422), Bruges (1425), Lille (1425–1428), Bruges (1431–1441)Authority control : Q102272 VIAF: 54156267 ISNI: 0000 0001 2101 4186 ULAN: 500116209 LCCN: n50048855 NLA: 35072913 WorldCat Title Deutsch: Arnolfini-Hochzeit, Hochzeitsbild des Giovanni Arnolfini und seine Frau Giovanna Cenami, Detail: Hund Español: «Retrato de Giovanni Arnolfini y su esposa», detalle: perro Date1434Current location National Gallery &#160;&#160;Native nameNational GalleryLocationLondonCoordinates51°&#160;30′&#160;31.33″&#160;N, 0°&#160;07′&#160;42.37″&#160;W Established1824Web pagenationalgallery.org.ukAuthority control : Q180788 VIAF: 144868906 ISNI: 0000 0001 2342 2001 ULAN: 500125190 LCCN: n80081622 NLA: 35311349 WorldCat Notes Deutsch: Hochzeitsbild, Porträt Source/PhotographerThe Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.Permission (Reusing this file)[1]
context_page_description: Cultural depictions of dogs extend back thousands of years to when dogs were portrayed on the walls of caves. Representations of dogs in art became more elaborate as individual breeds evolved and the relationships between human and canine developed. Hunting scenes were popular in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Dogs were depicted to symbolize guidance, protection, loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness, alertness, and love.
  As dogs became more domesticated, they were shown as companion animals, often painted sitting on a lady's lap. Throughout art history, mainly in Western art, there is an overwhelming presence of dogs as status symbols and pets in painting. The dogs were brought to houses and were allowed to live in the house. They were cherished as part of the family, and were regarded highly by the upper classes, who used them for hunting and could afford to feed them. Hunting dogs were generally connected to the aristocracy. Only the nobility were allowed to keep hunting dogs, and this would signal status.
context_section_description: Generally, dogs symbolize faith and loyalty. A dog, when included in an allegorical painting, portrays the attribute of fidelity personified. In a portrait of a married couple, a dog placed in a woman's lap or at her feet can represent marital fidelity. If the portrait is of a widow, a dog can represent her continuing faithfulness to the memory of her late husband.
  An example of a dog representing marital fidelity is present in Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait. An oil painting on oak panel dated 1434 by the Early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck, it is a small full-length double portrait, which is believed to represent the Italian merchant Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, presumably in their home in the Flemish city of Bruges. The little dog symbolizes faithfulness, devotion or loyalty, or can be seen as an emblem of lust, signifying the couple's desire to have a child. Unlike the couple, the dog looks out to meet the gaze of the viewer. The dog could also be simply a lap dog, a gift from husband to wife. Many wealthy women in the court had lap dogs as companions, reflecting wealth or social status.
  During the Middle Ages, images of dogs were often carved on tombstones to represent the deceased's feudal loyalty or marital fidelity.
caption: Detail of the dog
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