The AKC Museum of the Dog Permanent Collection Highlights VIRTUAL TOUR
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The AKC Museum of the Dog Permanent Collection Highlights VIRTUAL TOUR The AKC Museum of the Dog’s permanent collection consists of roughly 1,700 pieces of art featuring man’s best friend. The collection of the Museum is one of the finest and largest collec- tions of canine-related fine art and artifacts in the world. It mainly comprises of paintings, wa- tercolors, prints, ceramics, bronzes, and photographs – with the occasional mixed media piece thrown in for good measure. Additionally, historical objects such as dog show trophies, collars, and other dog-related objects are included in the collection. Originally opened in 1982, the Museum of the Dog has depended primarily on donations to build its holdings. Large gifts and bequests from prolific dog art collectors such as Frank Sabella, Marie Moore, Dornwald Kennels, and the estate of Nancy-Carol Draper form the core of the col- lection. Several highlights of the painting collection came to the Museum through the estate of Cynthia S. Wood and generous donations from the Westminster Kennel Foundation. The tradition of Animalier bronzes, which are bronze sculptures crafted by an artist that special- izes in creating realistic animals, is celebrated in the galleries. In addition to examples by Pierre- Jules Mene and Antoine Louis Barye, modern works by 20th century masters Richard Fath and June Harrah are on display. Representations of dogs in ceramic goes back centuries, and the collection reflects that rich history. One can encounter works from Staffordshire spill vases to modern day productions of many breeds from factories such as Meissen, Rosenthal, and Royal Doulton. While the museum collection is particularly deep in depictions of Mastiffs, Bulldogs, Great Danes, and German Shepherd Dogs, most AKC recognized breeds are represented in the collec- tion but may not be on display. Much of the collection has been photographed, however, and can be accessed through the Permanent Collection page on the Museum’s website. Looff Factory Queen wood 1890 Mastiff Gift of Marie A. Moore Long Live the Queen Upon first entering the Museum of the Dog, one of the first pieces you will see is a carousel dog overseeing the first floor gallery. This is Queen, the Musuem’s benevolent monarch with a myserious past. In the nineteenth century, it was no longer just horses being produced as carousel animals. Before then, merry-go-rounds had to be operated by a man or a horse - trudging around in circles to power the ride. With the advent of steam power, this was no longer necessary. With this technological advance- ment, carousel animals could be larger, and carousels could now hold substantially more animals on them. All sorts of animals started being produced for carousels besides horses, such as giraffes, cats, tigers, pigs, swans, and, of course, dogs. Queen was created in one of Charles Looff’s factories. Looff was Danish woodcarver named Charles I.D. Looff, has a very big presence at Coney Island. Looff designed and carved carousel animals, and his first merry-go-round was installed in Coney Island in 1880. Looff immigrated to New York in 1876 and opened his factory on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn. In the coming years, he would open additional factories in California and Rhode Island. She would be discovered in the early to mid-1960’s by an individual named R. Gordon Barton. Barton was on a buying trip in New York City for his art gallery in Middleburg, Virginia. While walking along Second Avenue, he was confronted with a massive carousel dog in the window display of an antique store. Bar- ton immediately knew who would want to give an abandoned Queen a new home – Mastiff breeder and art collector Marie Moore. Marie Moore would go on to make her mark at the Museum of the Dog as the single most significant donor of art objects. By the terms set out in her will, Moore donated roughly 300 objects to the Museum, including Queen. A Selection of Sighthounds James Ward took up painting and started painting animals in the 1790s. Salukis showcases Ward’s style of painting. The sighthounds in the piece are created with vigorous and ener- getic brushstrokes, evoking move- ment and energy. The saluki’s ears are blown back by the wind as they charge their prey. Even the swirling clouds in the sky convey speed and activity. It is a painting that shows the transitional shift in depictions of dogs seen between the 17th and 18th centuries with the 19th century – one that presages Victorian works but still contains violent animals depicted in Old Master paintings. The painting was originally shown at the British Institution in 1807. Engraver James Ward H.R. Cook reproduced the piece in the Sporting Magazine of Salukis December 1807 with the description, “This dog, so different oil on canvas from our English Greyhounds, is a very handsome animal, with 1807 a fine soft skin, the hair of its ears and tail appearing like silk Saluki and resembling it in softness”. Gift of the estate of Cynthia S. Wood The dog in this painting is known as a Lurcher. It is a dog type rather than a breed, a lurcher is usually a sighthound such as a greyhound crossed with another breed, common- ly a terrier or herding breed. In the painting At the Garden Gate, artist Matilda Lotz paints a Lurcher type dog waiting to be let out of a gated yard. The type has been known in England since before the 17th century. Back then, Lurcher dogs gener- ally were bred by and belonged to nomadic groups like the Romani. The Lurchers traveled alongside their owners and were free roaming dogs. Lotz herself Matilda Lotz was a traveler and went abroad to Hungary in the year 1900. At The Garden Gate There, she traveled with the Romani herself, and surely en- oil on canvas countered Lurcher dogs. c. 1890 Lurcher-type dog Gift of the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald H. Menaker Abraham Hondius The Amsterdam Dog Market oil on canvas c. 1671-1672 Gift of Robert A. Flanders to Honor the Memory of Walter F. Goodman A Bustling Dog Market Since the 18th century, this painting by Abraham Hondius has been associated with the city of Amsterdam. Ironical- ly, no actual dog market is known to exist or have been recorded there. The architecture is a classical pastiche and the arrangement recalls a stage setting. Below is the kennel where masses of dogs squirm and writhe with all sorts of activity. Above them is the 'showroom' where an elegant lady with her servant select a small lapdog, while the gentleman in the center is engaged in picking out a sighthound from three that are being presented. On a social level, the painting has been noted for the rising interest in the activity of dog breeding among the upper and mid- dle classes. Though prescient, in subject it is much more of a departure from traditional dog painting of the time. There is no clear precedent for this type of scene in the world of dog painting prior its execution, nor has there been anything like it since. In essence, it is a group portrait of a large number of dogs. While some of the dogs portrayed may be generic, several them, such as the central Mastiff, appear to be renderings of individual dogs. The painting also functions almost as an artistic catalogue of dogs of the day. It has been suggested that at least sixteen distinct breeds are displayed. Add to that, there is the deliberate array of dog collars in the lower right which are quite specific in their rendering and detail. In a sense, Hondius has created a kind of Kunstkammer (the German word for “Cabinet of Curiosities”) painting for dogs. Much like Dutch 17th century artists such as Arty challenge: David Teniers, who memorialized patron's art collections, and other artists that created artworks of collections How many different of shells and tulips, Hondius has chosen dogs. Though dogs can you spot in unlikely to have existed or belong to one owner, Hondius is displaying what could be available to the dog loving the Amsterdam Dog public of the day. Given its uniqueness, it may have been Market? a commissioned work by a dog breeder or a purveyor of dogs and related articles such as collars and leads. A Pioneering Woman This painting by John Dwight Bridge features Beatrice Godsol with her Sealyham Terriers. Bea Godsol was not an artist herself, but she was a very important female figure in the dog show world in the 20th century. Though she loved her Sealyham Terriers, Godsol’s repu- tation as an exhibitor was made through her Newfoundlands that she bred with her hus- band, Major Godsol. Beatrice became a mem- ber of the Newfoundland Club of America in 1933 and was elected president of the club in 1951. Additionally, both Beatrice and her husband were sought-after judges. Beatrice was one of the first women to be an all-round judge, meaning she was permitted to judge all AKC recognized breeds. At the time, this equaled 116 breeds! Additionally, she was the second woman ever to name Best in Show at West- minster. She judged in 1957 and named an Afghan Hound as Best in Show, the first time the breed ever took the title at Westminster. When describing her approach to judging show dogs, she once stated, “All dogs have faults. The great ones carry them well.” Godsol was also very active in dog obedience. She saw obedience training as a natural extension of dog showing.