Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873), Two spaniels in a sumptuous interior

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer RA (1802-1873), portrait of two spaniels in a sumptuous interior. possibly the pet spaniels of Queen Victoria, Dash and Tilco with her favourite, Dash seated on the red velvet cushion to the left. Initialled 'E. L.' on the cushion. Circa 1838.

Oil on canvas in a later giltwood frame, with a handwritten label of attribution on the reverse.

Provenance: From the collection of Paul Gallico, novelist.

Queen Victoria was a dog lover from an early age. For her 17th birthday in 1836, a portrait of her beloved toy spaniel Dash (1830-1840) by Landseer, was given to her as a gift from her mother, the Duchess of Kent. Dash was the first in a very long line of dogs who became her companions and this was the beginning  of a long and happy relationship between Landseer and the Royal Family. 'The spaniel Tilco (d.1850) was given as a gift to Queen Victoria in 1838 by the Earl of Albermarle. Queen Victoria married fellow dog lover Prince Albert in 1840 who arrived in England for his wedding with the greyhound Eos - who also joined them on their honeymoon.

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer RA (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals, particularly horses, dogs, and stags. Some of his best-known works are the four large scale bronze lion sculptures at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

His appeal crossed the class boundaries with engravings of his work common in working and middle-class homes, while his paintings were popular with the wealthy and the aristocracy. Queen Victoria and Albert commissioned numerous pictures from the artist, and Landseer became a frequent guest at Court. He began initially by painting various royal pets, (some of the most well-known are the painting of 'Eos' in 1841 and 'Her majesty's favourite pets' in 1837/8), followed later by portraits of ghillies and gamekeepers.

He taught both Victoria and Albert to etch, and made portraits of Victoria's children as babies, usually in the company of a dog. He also made two portraits of Victoria and Albert dressed for costume balls, at which he was a guest himself. One of his last paintings was a life-size equestrian portrait of the Queen, shown at the Royal Academy in 1873, made from earlier sketches.

Landseer was particularly associated with Scotland, which he had first visited in 1824 and the Highlands in particular, which provided the subjects (both human and animal) for many of his important paintings. These included 'The Hunting of Chevy Chase' (1825–26), 'An Illicit Whisky Still in the Highlands' (1826–1829), the majestic stag study 'The Monarch of the Glen' (1851) (now in the Scottish National Gallery) and 'Rent Day in the Wilderness' (1855–1868). In 1828, he was commissioned to produce illustrations for the Waverley Edition of Sir Walter Scott's novels.

Literature: William Secord, 'Dog Painting - The European Breeds', 2000.

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Price

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Condition report