Hunters in the Snow (Winter) (1565) by Pieter Bruegel the ElderKunsthistorisches Museum Wien
Let slip the dogs of art! First up is this faithful pack of hunting dogs in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 1565 painting of hunters, trudging home through the deep snow to their small village.
The landscape might be beautiful, but these mutts steal the scene.
Beware of Luxury (“In Weelde Siet Toe”) (1663) by Jan SteenKunsthistorisches Museum Wien
Jan Steen's unusual painting Beware of Luxury looks more like a theatre stage than scene from life. Around the room are all sorts of hidden jokes, puns, and details that would have the 17th-century viewers rolling with laughter…
Amidst all the chaos of the house, the little dog has taken the opportunity to steal a slice of the pie.
The Painter and his Pug (1745-01-01) by William HogarthTate Britain
Hogarth's faithful pug, named Trump, stands next to his master's own portrait in this ironic painting. Hogarth himself was often caricatured as a pug!
Trump appears in many other works, but this would be one of the last. Trump died in 1745 at the ripe old age of 15.
Portrait of Queen Charlotte of England (1781/1781) by Thomas Gainsborough, studioGallery of Old and New Masters, Staatliches Museum Schwerin / Ludwigslust / Güstrow
Thomas Gainsborough's rather informal portrait of Queen Charlotte of England walking her gardens doesn't include any crown or throne or insignia…
…but it does include one of her beloved spaniels. Queen Charlotte was a well-known dog-lover who also kept many Pomeranians.
Hector, Nero, and Dash with the parrot, Lory (1838) by Sir Edwin Landseer (1803-73)Royal Collection Trust, UK
In the world of pet portraiture, one name stands out: Edwin Landseer RA. He painted all sorts of animals, particularly horses and stags, and he even designed the lions of Trafalgar Square. But he's best known for dogs, such as Hector, Nero, and Dash with the parrot, Lory.
But he's best known for dogs, such as Hector, Nero, and Dash with the parrot, Lory.
Dog Lying in the Snow (1911) by Franz MarcStädel Museum
Franz Marc's tired dog Russi has decided to take a brief nap in the a snowy forest.
Marc spent a long time on this painting, before the "pure colour relationship between the yellow, the cold white of the snow, and the blue in it had been accomplished".
Dinamismo di un cane al guinzaglio (Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash) (1912) by Giacomo BallaAlbright-Knox Art Gallery
The wild energy of a little dachschund is palpable in Giacomo Balla's 1912 Futurist painting Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash.
Its little legs and happy tail blur as its little streamlined body skits down the pavement, swinging its leash.
White Angora Cat Chasing a Butterfly (circa 1761) by Jean-Jacques BachelierRmn-Grand Palais
More of a cat-person? Discover the coolest cats in art history.
