A Boy with a spaniel

The sitter is posed in a fashionable grey coat with large round-edged turned up cuffs. In his right hand he holds a collar over the head of the spaniel, indicating that the dog belongs to him. The bond between them is obvious and it is clear the boy has taken great trouble to train his dog. In portraits, dogs were often used to represent social status but were also a symbol of fidelity. The portrait has been painted by a skilled artist who has been influenced by Robert Byng. Robert Byng was a portrait artist from Wiltshire. He worked as
a studio assistant to Sir Godfrey Kneller, a leading portrait painter working in England during the late 17th and early 18th century. As well as working in Kneller’s studio Byng produced a number of works in his own right. Examples of his paintings can be found in public art collections including Wells City Council, Thetford Museum & the University of Oxford.