Always by our side: the dog in art

Hardly any other animal is as closely connected to humans as the dog. It hunts with us, guards our homes, plays with our children – and has found its place in art for thousands of years. Sometimes it stands for vigilance, sometimes for prosperity, sometimes simply for the intimate bond between humans and animals. But one central motif hovers over everything: loyalty.

Dogs have accompanied humans since ancient times. The early civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt worshipped the dog as a companion of the gods or as a deity. Anubis was regarded as a soul guide to the land of the dead. He was often depicted as a black dog or jackal. It was also he who supervised the weighing of the soul – this ensured that the heart of the deceased was light. The judgment of Anubis was of decisive importance in this process.
Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, is surrounded by a pack of hunting dogs on her forays. However, the dog not only appears as a hunting companion, but also as a symbol of loyalty. Argus, Odysseus’ hunting dog, faithfully waits for his human to return from the Trojan War and the ensuing odyssey. He waits for twenty years – and when Odysseus finally returns home, the now old and frail dog is the first to recognize him and raises his head once more, wags his tail and dies shortly afterwards, as Homer reports. The dog is also frequently depicted on Greek gravestones with young men.
The Romans were also inspired by the loyalty of the dog. In Pompeii, a floor mosaic was discovered with the inscription Cave Canem – “Beware of the dog”. It shows a watchful four-legged friend guarding the threshold of the house. Here, the dog is not only a real warning sign, but also a symbol of protection and solidarity. Depictions like this are often found in ancient house entrances. The Romans also seem to have mourned the death of their faithful companions – finds of dog graves in Cologne and Mayen, for example, bear witness to this.
In the Middle Ages, dogs took on an almost spiritual role. In religious paintings, he often appears inconspicuously at the edge of the picture, usually at the feet of a female figure. There it symbolizes marital fidelity or the soul’s vigilance towards God. In this way, the dog was transformed from a hunting and guarding companion into a moral authority in the painting. A prime example is the famous “Arnolfini Wedding” (1434) by Jan van Eyck. A small dog sits between the couple, who stand in a solemn pose in a magnificent interior. At first glance, it could almost be overlooked, but its significance is central: it is a symbol of marital fidelity and mutual loyalty. At a time when marriage was often a contract between families, the dog in the picture ensured that the ideal of love and reliability was not forgotten. But there are also depictions of women with a dog in the Codex Manesse – usually lapdogs.

In the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the dog made a real appearance on canvases. Wealthy families had themselves portrayed with their dogs – not only because they loved them, but also because the animals embodied status and virtue. The dog symbolized constancy and loyalty, values that were of paramount importance in a time of political intrigue and dynastic marriages. A well-known example of a prominently placed dog can be found in Titian’s “Venus of Urbino”. At the feet of the female nude lies a small brown and white dog, which balances the erotic undertone of the painting through its association with marital fidelity. In this way, the animal became a moral counterweight and conveyed a message that went far beyond the purely aesthetic. Artists such as Velázquez and Rubens also skillfully portrayed dogs. Sometimes they accompanied the rulers on hunts, demonstrating strength and power, sometimes they watched over children in portraits – almost always as a silent symbol that attachment, protection and loyalty are immovable values. In courtly depictions in particular, the animals also had a representative function: a large hunting dog next to a king could emphasize both bravery and a claim to power.
Furthermore, dogs also had a narrative role in many paintings. They guided the viewer’s gaze, created movement in the composition or served as a contrasting figure to the main character. A sleeping dog could convey peace and harmony, while an alert dog indicated danger and vigilance. In this way, the animal presence was combined with the symbolic imagery of the time. Last but not least, the depictions also reflected the close bond between humans and animals, which became increasingly important in the early modern period. Dogs were no longer just farm animals for hunting or protecting the home, but were seen as companions whose closeness expressed social status and personal sensitivity in equal measure.

The 19th century saw a change in the artistic representation of dogs: It visibly lost its role as a hunting companion or status symbol and became an integral part of family life. In middle-class living rooms, it became a familiar member of the family – and found its emotional expression in works of art that conveyed a closeness between man and animal without falling into mere sentimentality. Artists such as Edwin Landseer painted dogs with a pathos that was otherwise reserved for humans: loyal gazes, devoted postures, scenes full of feeling. In this era, the loyalty of dogs was particularly romanticized. It was seen as a mirror of the ideal that should also apply to human relationships: a loyal bond, constant affection, an unshakeable place at each other’s side. Queen Victoria had her dogs portrayed by Landseer. In numerous depictions, the dog is now often the sole subject. The American artist Edwin Megargee, for example, also specialized in portraits of dogs, horses and cattle. The French artist Rosa Bonheur was also appreciated for her realistic depictions of animals, including dogs.

In the 20th century, the dog took on new faces. Pablo Picasso immortalized his dachshund Lump again and again – sometimes as a quick sketch, sometimes in playful abstraction. The photographer Elliott Erwitt placed dogs in funny everyday moments in which their unconditional affection for people is often subtly visible.
More recently, David Hockney also devoted himself to the subject of dogs. His colorful, almost pop-like depictions of domestic dogs, which simultaneously radiate intimacy and personality, are particularly well-known. Hockney shows the dog as a beloved companion, but also as an independent individual – loyal, charming and often humorously staged. Another example of modern depictions of dogs is the “Dog Days” series, which captures summertime laziness, playfulness and the close relationship between man and dog. Here it becomes clear that the dog exists not only as a symbol of loyalty, but also as a living, feeling presence in everyday life – a partner that brings joy, closeness and warmth.

Whether as a watchful guardian or hunting companion in antiquity, as a symbol of marital fidelity in the Renaissance, as a trusted family member in the 19th century or as a pop art icon in Hockney’s work, the dog remains a recurring theme in art history. They appear in frescoes, sculptures, paintings and photographs – and never by chance, but always as a mirror of human values and desires. Its depiction not only tells us something about animals, but also about us humans. It illustrates how much we have hoped for reliability, closeness and attachment for centuries – and how strongly we project these desires onto a creature that accompanies us in our everyday lives. While in antiquity the focus was primarily on function – hunting, protection, strength – the dog took on an increasingly symbolic role in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It became a symbol of moral virtues, a quiet commentary on loyalty and constancy, embedded in magnificent imagery, such as in Jan van Eyck’s “Arnolfini Wedding”.
This view changed in the 19th century: Dogs appeared more frequently as members of the family, integrated into domestic scenes, depicted with a tenderness that emphasized closeness and care. This is where the form of emotionality begins that still touches us today when we look at such images. After all, modernism – from impressionist studies to pop art – shows us that the dog is not only a symbol, but also an everyday companion whose presence in art can range from simple joie de vivre to ironic refraction. It is precisely this diversity that makes his depiction so fascinating: the dog never just stands for itself, but becomes a projection surface for our own ideas. Whether we encounter him in a fresco from Pompeii, in a Renaissance portrait or on a colorful 20th century canvas – he always reminds us of something greater than the animal alone. Perhaps this is the quiet magic that makes its presence in art history so indispensable. Because in the eyes of a dog, whether painted, drawn or photographed, we do not just recognize an animal – we recognize a piece of our own humanity. And so, for centuries, it has remained a symbol of what we all want: Loyalty, closeness and the certainty of not being alone.

Read more: A Botticelli painting reveals something surprising.