Why People Buy Dog Portraiture

There is more to the English decorating style then the usual floral and white china. According to a magazine this has made people interested in dog portraits from the Victorian era. With cave walls as their canvas, dog portraits came to existence 15,000 to 30,000 years back.

Back then when the royal children were painted by the order of Queen Victoria it also included the painting of their royal dogs. The dogs of Country squires would also be given titles and take part on estate portraits. These paintings were always part of the family record.

The passion filtered through the classes, and by the end of the 1800s dog portraiture was a boom industry says an antique store owner in New York City. Everyone wanted portraits of their canines, and plenty of people responded. Great Britain had a population of 20 million to 30 million, and 6 million claimed to be animal painters.

Despite being new to the industry still they are able to sell. These sorts of primitive, naive paintings are the ones people are collecting, says a fine arts consultant in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The pets in the pictures are typically mixed breeds. The pictures of pure bred dogs would usually be highly collected according to a New York gallery owner and former director of the dog museum of America. This style ranged from paintings, prints, pastels and watercolors.

Given that they were looking for a certain breed, collectors wanted the purebred portraits more. Since the cavalier King Charles spaniel is a society dog many people like to get their hands on those paintings. With the best purebred portraits they are the only ones that come close to the price of the sporting portraits.

Portraits of dogs are available from various sources. These places would include Art galleries, auction houses, private dealers and antique and thrift shops. Though it is worth a shot, flea markets and garage sales are not such good options.

In case you might be in the hunt for a portrait, it is best to do some research first. If you are interested in a specific breed, read about that particular breed in the new breed books, but also look at early 19th century breed books.

Having background information is more important when you buy from an auction. The legitimacy of these pieces is typically not guaranteed by auction houses. Your dealer will always do all they can to help you get a piece and make sure that it is real. Keep in mind that it is still a good move to do your own research.


At dog painting you'll find more expert resources on paintings. For alternative topics on paintings visit oil painting kids.

---

Orignal From: Why People Buy Dog Portraiture