Daphne the Staffordshire Spaniel Portrait

This piece is on exhibit at a gallery: please send a note to inquire.

This piece is available at the Liz Lidgett Gallery.

This is a portrait of Daphne, an antique Victorian black and white Staffordshire spaniel with a deep pink floral block-printed wallpaper behind her and a brown and pink floral block-printed tablecloth beneath. In a contemporary gold float frame. 20" by 20".

THE HISTORY: In the 19th century, Staffordshire spaniels kept watch on countless English hearths, creamy white earthenware dogs with gilt chains and solemn, slightly startled eyes. Modelled on the King Charles spaniels beloved by Queen Victoria, they were mass-produced in the potteries of Staffordshire and sold as facing pairs for the mantel, window sill, or bedside table. Time has left each dog with its own chips, crazing, and quirks of expression, which are the tiny survivors of Victorian domestic life.

THE COLLECTION: These portraits of antique Staffordshire spaniels are done as if the mantelpiece dogs have finally sat for the grand canvases they deserve.  In these paintings, I treat them as sitters: patient, dignified, and a little absurd, their portraits turning a familiar piece of English folk pottery into a family of minor household deities.