A few years ago, I visited Amsterdam, home of the astounding Rijksmuseum. I soon discovered while perusing the massive art collection that the Dutch really, really, really love dogs. An astonishing amount of the art contained at least one dog.
I realized I could engage with the art in a new way by taking a photo of every single art-dog I could find. By the end of the day, I’d only gone through about half of the museum and I took about 100 photos of dogs.
Ever since then, I’ve been especially aware of dogs in art museums. Some cultures depict very few dogs. Some cultures have occasional dogs. And then there’s the Dutch.
Anyway, I found many Very Good Dogs inside the Lisbon Cathedral.
This extremely fine hound is hoping that stick becomes airborne very soon.This dog also wants a stick! I love that throwing sticks for dogs has been a pastime for many centuries.That kid better throw that stick soon, or this Very Good Dog will flatten him.Oh no! This poor pup is never going to get to chase the Special Loud Stick. However, I wonder how and why the master insists on playing the flute with his nose.Uh oh. Gotta warn that stick about the sea serpents!What is better than sticks? Sardines! (This is Lisbon, so that must be a sardine.)This image is proof that sardines are even better than sticks.Surely this is a good-natured race between a dog and his best friend, The Bigger Dog with Sprigs of Rosemary on Its Head.Pretty sure this is the same dog, one second later. How do you do a flipbook with painted tile?This dog’s head has shrunk in the wash.Or was dog-head-shrinkage a thing back then? Either way, this is a Very Good Dog getting pets.Now I would like to draw your attention to this lady. First of all, she clearly gets to read for all eternity, which is pretty great. But even better……she gets to read with her dog hanging out by her feet! Wait, is this a statue of me reading in bed?No, wait, this is the statue of me reading in bed……because there are TWO dogs at her feet!And finally, I give you this Very Fine Hound, who is so good that his noggin has worn smooth because everyone needs to pat his head.
