Two Spaniels in a Landscape
(oil on canvas, 48-7/8" x 66")
by
English School, 18th Century
Could this in fact be an early painting of a Newfoundland? I believe so. Keep in mind that in the 18th and early 19th Centuries some canine authorities identified the Newfoundland as a type of spaniel (the English veterinarian and writer William Youatt perhaps most famously), which would explain the title of this work.
Of course there is also the posing of the two dogs, with the much larger dog in back placing its paw on the smaller spaniel. Clearly this is intended to draw attention to the substantial size differential between the two dogs, a further suggestion this might be an early Newf. The curly coat and arching tail are very characteristic of early Newf illustrations, as can readily be seen in many early images and descriptions here at The Cultured Newf. Some early descriptions of Newfoundlands even remark on rust points above the eyes, so it is very likely this painting features a Newfoundland.
