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EDITED BY ESTELLE M. HURLL

1. RAPHAEL. 7. GREEK SCULPTURE.

2. REMBRANDT. 8. TITIAN.

3. MICHELANGELO. 9. LANDSEER.

4. MILLET. 10. CORREGGIO.

5. REYNOLDS. II. TUSCAN SCULPTURE.

6. MURILLO. 12. VAN DYCK.

Each, illustrated, crown 8vo, Library Edition, gilt
top, 75 cerfts, net; postage, 8 cents. School Edition,
50 cents, net ; postpaid.

PUBLISHED BY

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

BOSTON AND NEW YORK

From an Engraring by Frank Cousins

John Andrew & Son, So.

THE CONNOISSEURS
Property of King Edward VII

W)t EitierjsiDe art ^eriess

LAJNTDSEER

A COLLECTION OF FIFTEEN PICTUEES

AND A PORTRAIT OF THE PAINTER

WITH INTRODUCTION AND

INTERPRETATION

BY

ESTELLE M. HURLL

BOSTON AND NEW YORK

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

(9rbe J^ftjcrsibe pre??, dambribge

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COPYRIGHT, I90I, BY HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & Ca
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Published November^ igoi.

PREFACE

The wide popularity of Landseer has been chiefly-
due to the circulation of engravings after his works.
This little book is, so far as I know, the first attempt to
bring together a collection of his pictures made in the
modern process of half tone, from photographs direct
from the original paintings. It is hoped that they may
give a fairly good idea of the range and character of his

art.

ESTELLE M. HURLL.

New Bedford, Mass.
September, 1901.

CONTENTS AND LIST OF PICTURES

FAQB

The Connoisseurs. Painted by Landseer . (Frontispiece)

Picture from Engraving by Frank Cousins
Introduction

I. On Landseer's Character as an Artist . . vii

II. On Books of Reference x

ni. Historical Directory of the Pictures of this

Collection x

IV. Outline Table of the Principal Events in

Landseer's Life xii

V. Some of Landseer's Contemporaries .... xiii
I. King Charles Spaniels 1

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl

II. Shoeing 7

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl

III. Suspense 13

Picture from Photograph of the original Painting

IV. The Monarch of the Glen 19

Picture from Engraving by Thomas Landseer

V. The Twa Dogs 25

Picture from Photograph of the original Painting

VI. Dignity and Impudence 31

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl

VIL Peace 37

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl

VIII. War 43

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl

IX. A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society 49

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl

X. A Naughty Child 55

Picture from Photograph of the original Painting

CONTENTS AND LIST OF PICTURES

XI. The Sleeping Bloodhound 61

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl

XII. The Hunted Stag 67

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl

XIII. Jack in Office 73

Picture from Photograph of the original Painting

XIV. The Highland Shepherd's Chief Mourner ... 79

Picture from Photograph of the original Painting

XV. A Lion of the Nelson Monument 85

Picture from Photograph by Franz Hanfstaengl
XVI. The Connoisseurs 91

INTRODUCTION

I. ON LANDSEER'S CHARACTER AS AN ARTIST.

If the popularity of a painter were the measure of his
artistic greatness, Sir Edwin Landseer^s would be among
the foremost of the world's great names. At the height
of his career probably no other living painter was so
familiar and so well beloved throughout the English-speak-
ing world. There were many homes in England and
America where his pictures were cherished possessions.

While popular opinion is never a safe basis for a critical
estimate, it must be founded on reasons worth considering.
In the case of Landseer there is no doubt that a large
element in his success was his choice of subjects. The
hearts of the people are quickly won by subjects with
which they are familiar in everyday life. A universal
love for animals, and especially for domestic pets, prepared
a cordial welcome for the painter of the deer and the dog.
His pictures supplied a real want among the class of
people who know and care nothing about " art for art's
sake."

The dramatic power with which Landseer handled his
subjects was the deeper secret of his fame. He knew how
to tell a story with a simple directness which has never
been surpassed. With almost equal facility for humor
and pathos, he alternated between such inimitable satire
as the Jack in Office and such poignant tragedy as the
Highland Shepherd's Chief Mourner. Before pictures

viii LANDSEER

like these, the keenest criticism must confirm the popular
verdict. Poetic imagination is one of the most coveted
of the artist's gifts, and Landseer's rich endowment com-
mands universal admiration.

The artist who is a story teller finds it one of the most
difficult tasks to keep within proper limits. He is under
a constant temptation to emphasize his point too strongly,
to exaggerate his meaning in order to make it plain.
That Landseer never fell into such error none would
dare to claim. In interpreting the emotions of dumb
animals he sometimes overdrew, or seemed to overdraw,
their resemblance to human beings. Only those who have
observed animals as closely as he — and how few they
are — are competent to decide in this matter. When
one thoroughly considers the question, the wonder is less
that he sometimes made mistakes, than that he made so
few. As a sympathetic critic has said : " Nothing short
of the most exquisite perception of propriety on his part
could have enabled him to give innumerable versions of
the inner life of animals with so little of the exaggera-
tion and fantasticalness which would have easily become
repugnant to the common sense of Englishmen." ^

Among Landseer's technical qualities the critic has
highest praise for his drawing. He was a born draughts-
man, as we see in the astonishing productions of his boy-
hood. He was besides a painstaking and faithful student
in the youthful years when the foundations of good work
must be laid. Another valuable quality was his artistic
discrimination, that which a certain critic has called " the
selective glance that discerns in a moment what are the
lines of character and of life." Seizing these, he trans-
ferred them to his canvas in the decisive strokes which
reproduce not merely the body but the vitality of the
subject.

1 Henrietta Keddie (" Sarah Tytler ").

INTRODUCTION he

His dexterity in texture-painting was remarkable. The
glossy coat of the bay mare, the soft long hair of the
Newfoundland dog, the polished surface of metal, were
rendered with consummate skill. There are marvellous
tales of the rapidity of his workmanship. In the moment
of inspiration his practised hand made the single telling
brush stroke which produced the desired effect.

With apparently little systematic effort towards orderly
composition, he often felt his way instinctively, as it were,
to some admirable arrangements. He sometimes showed
a feeling for pose almost plastic in quality, as when he
painted A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society
and The Sleeping Bloodhound. His sense of the pictur-
esque is quite marked. He was fond of sparkle, and
disposed very cleverly the points of bright light in his
pictures.

Landseer's admirers are wont to regret that he devoted
himself to so limited a range of subjects. The patronage
of the rich absorbed much of his time in unimportant
work, — time which might better have been spent in those
works of creative imagination of which he showed himself
capable. His pictures of deer subjects reveal an other-
wise unsuspected power in landscape-painting which with
cultivation might have led him into another field of suc-
cess. In portrait-painting, too, his work was admirable,
especially in the delineation of children.

It is idle to speculate upon what he might have been
had he not been what he was. Much greater artists
than he might well envy him his unique fame. To excep-
tional artistic ability he united a sympathetic imagination
which divined some of the most precious secrets of com-
mon life. It was his peculiar glory that he touched the
hearts of the people.

X LANDSEER

II. ON BOOKS OF REFERENCE.

In the year following Landseer's death (i. e., in 1874),
a memoir of the painter was published by F. G. Stephens,
made up in part of material previously issued by the
writer on the Early Works of Landseer. A few years
later (in 1880), this memoir served in turn, as the sub-
stantial material, revised and somewhat enlarged, for
Stephens' biography of Landseer in the series " Great
Artists." Besides Stephens, Cosmo Monkhouse has de-
voted valuable critical work to the art career of Land-
seer. Full of suggestive and illuminating comment is his
large volume " The Works of Sir Edwin Landseer, with
a History of his Art Life." The book is illustrated.
Valuable chapters on Landseer are in " The Art of Paint-
ing in the Queen's Reign," by A. G. Temple, London,
1897, and in "Animal Painters of England," by Sir
Walter Gilbey, London, 1900.

An interesting article on Landseer's art appeared in
"The British Quarterly Review" soon after his death,
and was reprinted in Littell's " Living Age," December
26, 1874. Comments on the artist's pictures and methods
are scattered throug-h the works of Ruskin and Hamerton.
A catalogue of Landseer's works was issued by Henry
Graves, London, 1875.

III. HISTORICAL DIRECTORY OF THE PICTURES OF
THIS COLLECTION.

The Connoisseurs. Painted in 1865. The property
of King Edward VII.

1. King Charles Spaniels. Painted in 1832, accord-
ing to the authority of F. G. Stephens. Monkhouse gives
the date as 1845. In the National Gallery, London.
Size : 2 ft. 3^ in. by 2 ft. 11^ in.

2. Shoeing. Exhibited in 1844. Bequeathed by Mr.

INTRODUCTION xi

Jacob Bell to the National Gallery, London, where it now
hangs. Size : 4 ft. 8 in. by 3 ft. 8 in.

3. Suspense, Exhibited in 1834. In the South Ken-
sington Museum, London. Size : 2 ft. 11| in. by 2 ft.
3J in.

4. The Monarch of the Glen. Painted in 1850 or
1851. Bought in 1897 by Mr. T. J. Barratt of Hamp-
stead, England. Size : 5 ft. 4 in. by 5 ft. 6 in.

5. The Twa Dogs, Signed E. L. 1822. In the
South Kensington Museum, London. Size: 1 ft. 9 in.
by 1 ft. 4f in.

6. Dignity and Impudence. Exhibited in 1839. Be-
queathed by Mr. Jacob Bell to the National Gallery,
London, where it now hangs. Size : 2 ft. 11^ in. by 2 ft.
31m.

7. Peace. Exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1846.
In the National Gallery, London. Size : 2 ft. 10 in. by
4 ft. 4 in.

8. War. Exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1846.
In the National GaUery, London. Size : 2 ft. 10 in. by
4 ft. 4 in.

9. A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society,
Exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1838. In the National
Gallery, London. Size : 3 ft. 6^ in. by 4 ft. 7 in.

10. A Naughty Child. Exhibited at the British In-
stitution, in 1834. In the South Kensington Museum,
London. Size : 1 ft. 3 in. by 11 in.

11. The Sleeping Bloodhound. Exhibited at the
British Institution in 1835. Bequeathed by Mr. Jacob
Bell to the National Gallery, London, where it now hangs.
Size : 3 ft. 3 in. by 4 ft. 1 in.

12. The Hunted Stag. Exhibited at the Royal Acad-
emy, in 1833. In the National Gallery, London. Size :
2 ft. 31 in. by 2 ft. Ill in.

13. Jack in Office, Exhibited at the Royal Academy,

xii LANDSEER

in 1833. In the South Kensington Museum, London.
Size : 2 ft. 2 in. by 1 ft. 7f in.

14. The Highland Shejoherd's Chief Mourner, Ex-
hibited at the Koyal Academy, in 1887. In the South
Kensington Museum, London. Size : 2 ft. by 1 ft. 6 in.

15. A Lion of the Nelson Monument. Commission
received in 1859. Lions set up in Trafalgar Square,
1868.

IV. OUTLINE TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS
IN LANDSEER'S LIFE.

1802. Landseer born in London.

1815. " Honorary Exhibitor " at Koyal Academy, studies

under Haydon.

1816. Admittance to Royal Academy as student.

1817. Portrait of Brutus exhibited.

1818. Fighting Dogs exhibited.

1822. Premium of <£150 awarded by Directors of British
Institution for Larder Invaded.

1824. First visit to Highlands and to Sir Walter Scott

at Abbotsford.
Cat's-Paw exhibited.

1825. Removal to house in St. John's Wood, London.

1826. Associate of Royal Academy.
1830. Royal Academician.

1834. Landseer's highest level in art; Suspense exhibited.

Higliland Shepherd Dog rescuing Sheep from
Snowdrift.
1837. Highland Shepherd's Chief Mourner.
1840. Travel on Continent.
1843. The Sanctuary.
1846. Peace ; and War.

The Stag at Bay.
1848. A Random Shot.
1850. Knighthood conferred.

INTRODUCTION

1853. Gold medal from Paris Exhibition.

1859. Commission for lions of Nelson Monument.

1860. Flood in the Highlands.

1868. Lions placed in Trafalgar Square.

1869. The Swannery Invaded.
1873. Death, October 1.

Funeral in St. Paul's, October 11.

V. SOME OF LANDSEER'S CONTEMPORARIES.

Artists : —

Sir Charles Eastlake, 1793-1865 "^

C. K. Leslie, 1794-1859.

Henry Fuseli, 1741-1825.

William Mulready, 1786-1863. !> Painters.

J. M. W. Turner, 1775-1851.

Benjamin West, 1738-1820.

Sir David Wilkie, 1785-1841.

John Gibson, sculptor, 1790-1866.

Thomas Landseer, engraver, 1796-1880.

AUTHOES : —

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1809-1861.

Kobert Browning, 1812-1889.

Lord Byron, 1788-1824.

Charles Dickens, 1812-1870.

George Eliot, 1819-1880.

eTames Hogg, 1770-1835.

Walter Savage Landor, 1775-1864.

John Ruskin, 1819-1900.

Sir Walter Scott, 1771-1832.

Tennyson, 1809-1892.

Thackeray, 1811-1863.

Wordsworth, 1770-1850.

KING CHARLES SPANIELS

Edwin Henry Landseer was the most gifted
member of a family of artists. His father was a
well-known engraver, and his brother Thomas dis-
tinguished himself in the same profession. As soon
as he could hold a pencil, the boy Edwin began to
draw. The family were then hving in the outskirts
of London, and there were open fields near the
house. Here the future animal - painter used to
spend long afternoons sketching cows and sheep,
and at the end of the day his father would criticise
his work.

At an early age the young artist began to show a
preference for the dog above other animals. A
drawing of a foxhound made when he was five years
old is still exhibited as a remarkable production. At
the age of fourteen he became a pupil at the Royal
Academy, " a bright lad with light curling hair, and
a very gentle, graceful manner and much manliness
withal." The following year all the critics were sur-
prised when he exhibited an admirable portrait of a
dog called Brutus. The painter Fuseli was at this
time at the head of the Academy, and was very fond
of his precocious pupil, whom he playfully called
his " little dog boy," in reference to the Brutus.

2 LANDSEER

It was by means of another dog picture that
the artist took his next step towards fame. " The
Fighting Dogs " was a remarkable work for a painter
sixteen years old, and upon its exhibition in 1818
it was purchased by an English nobleman. This
was the real beginning of Landseer's professional
career, and from this time forward his success was
assured.

It became a fashion among people of means to
bring their dogs to Landseer for their portraits.
He even counted royalty among his patrons, paint-
ing the favorite pets of Queen Victoria and her hus-
band, Prince Albert.

The spaniels of our picture were the pets of a
certain Mr. Vernon, who not unnaturally deemed the
beautiful little creatures a worthy subject for a mas-
ter's brush. This kind of dog, as its name implies,
is supposed to have come originally from Spain.
Both Stuart kings, Charles I. and Charles II., were
specially fond of the breed, each having a favorite
variety. One of the dukes of Marlborough was
also a lover of spaniels, and imported into England
the variety called, from his palace, the Blenheim.
The difference of color between the King Charles
and the Blenheim is seen in the picture, the former
being black and tan, with a few white touches ; the
other white, with spots of liver color. Both have
characteristic silky coats, round heads, big lustrous
eyes set wide apart, and long ears hanging in folds.

The little dogs lie side by side on a table. The
Blenheim has his paws over the edge, resting his

CO ^

KING CHARLES SPANIELS 5

nose comfortably upon them. The King Charles
nestles upon the brim of a high-crowned hat orna-
mented with a long ostrich plume drooping over the
brim. Such a hat was worn among the Cavahers
or king's party in the reign of Charles I. ; hence
the title of the Cavalier's Pets/ often given to the
picture. The hat, it must be understood, serves an
important artistic purpose in the composition, the
height, from crown to feather tip, relieving the other-
wise flat effect of the picture.

The attention of the dogs seems attracted by some
object across the room. It is the painter talking to
them soothingly over his sketch : he has learned the
secret of dog language. As his pencil moves rapidly
over the paper, they watch him with wide eyes, full
of wonder but with no fear. They are like spoiled
children gazing at a visitor with an expression half
wilful, half beseeching. The fresh ribbon bows
they wear are evidence of the fond care bestowed
upon them.

'Though the spaniel is not of the highest order of
canine intelligence, it is an affectionate and lovable
pet often known to fame in distinguished company.
Tradition has it that it was one of these little crea-
tures which followed the unfortunate Mary Stuart
to the executioner's block —

" The little dog that licked her hand, the last of all the crowd
Which sunned themselves beneath her glance and round her footsteps
bowed."

^ The idea suggested in this title is made the basis of an imaginary
story woven about the picture in Sarah Tytler's little book, Landseer^s
Dogs and their Stories.

6 LANDSEER

It is also supposed that Sir Isaac Newton's little dog
Diamond was a spaniel, the mischief-maker who de-
stroyed his master's priceless calculations, and drew
from the philosopher the mild exclamation, " Dia-
mond, Diamond, thou little knowest the mischief
thou hast done." Again, it was a spaniel whom
Elizabeth Barrett Browning cherished as the com-
panion of weary hours of illness and confinement.
The charming verses to Flush celebrate the dog's
beauty and affection.

The history of our picture illustrates Landseer's
remarkable facility of workmanship. After making
the first sketch at Mr. Vernon's house in Pall Mall,
the painter was for a long time too busy to do any
further work upon it. One day artist and patron
chanced to meet upon the street, and the former was
reminded of his promise. The sketch was taken
out and, two days later, the finished painting was
dehvered to the owner. The picture lost nothing,
however, by the haste with which it was executed.
A competent critic (Cosmo Monkhouse) has said that
Landseer never excelled it as a piece of painting.
Much praise has been bestowed upon the few dexter-
ous strokes which have so perfectly reproduced the
texture of the plume on the hat. Even in the black
and white reproduction we can appreciate some of
the best points of the picture.

II

SHOEING

At the blacksmith's shop the bay mare Betty is
being fitted to new shoes. Already the fore feet are
nicely shod and the blacksmith now has the near
hind foot in hand. The other occupants of the
place are a small donkey and the bloodhound Laura.

Betty is a sensible horse and enjoys the shoeing
process. When the time comes around for her reg-
ular visit to the forge, she walks off of her own
accord and unattended to the familiar spot. No
halter is necessary to keep her standing ; in fact, she
would not tolerate such an indignity. She takes
her place by the window as if perfectly at home.

Blacksmith and horse are old friends who under-
stand each other well. The man has won the ani-
mal's confidence by the care he has taken to fit the
shoes comfortably. Though a plain, rough fellow,
he is of a kindly nature and knows his business
thoroughly.

The shop is a quaint little place such as one finds
in English villages. The thick masonry of the walls
shows how old the building is ; the floor is paved
with large blocks of stone. Between the anvil and
the forge there is only space enough for the horse
to stand. Yet all the necessary tools are at hand,

8 LANDSEER

and a good blacksmith may shoe a horse as well here
as in the most elaborate city establishment.

At this stage of the process the preparations are
all over. The old shoes were first removed and the
feet pared and filed. New shoes were chosen as
near the right size as possible, and one by one
shaped for each foot. Holding the shoe in his long
tongs, the blacksmith thrusts it into the fire, while
he fans the flames with the bellows. Thence it is
transferred, a glowing red crescent, to the anvil.
Now the workman swings his hammer upon it with
ringing strokes, the sparks fly out in a shower, and
the soft metal is shaped at will. The shoe may be
made a httle broader or a little longer, as the case
may be ; bent a trifle here or there, to accommodate
the foot to be fitted. The steel toe calk is welded
in, the ends are bent to form the heels, the holes
for nails are punctured, the shoe taking an occa-
sional plunge into the flames during these pro-
cesses.

Now there must be a preliminary trying-on. The
shoe still hot is held to the foot for which it is in-
tended, and the air is filled with the fumes of burn-
ing hoof. Yet the horse does not flinch, for the
thick hoof is a perfect protection for the sensitive
parts of the foot. If the careful blacksmith is not
quite satisfied with the fit, there must be more ham-
mering on the anvil, and another trying on. When
the shoe is satisfactory, it is thrust hissing into a
barrel of cold water, and, cooled and hardened, is
ready to be nailed on.

Fr. HaorilirD);!, photo.

SHOEING
National Gallery, London

SHOEING 11

It is at this point in the story that we come upon
Betty. The farrier, after the approved method of
his trade, holds the foot firmly between his knees,
and bends to his task. The nails, long and flat,
are in the tool-box on the floor beside him. A
few firm blows of the hammer drive each one into
place, first on one side, then on the other ; the pro-
jecting points are twisted off every time, and finally,
all the rough ends are filed smoothly on the outside
of the hoof. Betty is at last fully shod and will
step complacently home.

Our painter has arranged the four figures of the
picture in a sort of circular composition, so that we
may see each one in a characteristic pose. The bay
mare is, of course, the chief attraction, a fine high-
bred creature, with straight legs, arching neck, and
gentle face marked on the forehead with a pure
white star. Landseer exerted his utmost skill in
reproducing the texture of the glossy hide. Its
beautiful sheen is more striking by contrast with the
shaggy hair of the donkey. It was a clever thought
to place this plebeian little beast beside the aristo-
cratic, high-spirited horse.

The donkey bends his head in a deprecating way
below Betty's handsome neck, and the horse permits
the companionship of an inferior with gentle toler-
ance. There is something very appealing about
the donkey, a patient little beast of burden, meekly
bearing his saddle. The bloodhound shows no little
curiosity as to the shoeing process, as if it were some-
thing new to her. She sits on her haunches, thrust-

12 LANDSEER

ing her head forward, the long ears drooping, the
sensitive nose sniffing the strange odors.

Among these dumb companions the blacksmith
feels himself surrounded by friends. He is a lover
of pets, as we see by the birdcage hanging in the
window. His sturdy frame looks equal to the de-
mands of his trade, which are in fact very laborious.
It is grimy work, and only the roughest clothes can
be worn. A big leather apron with a cut down
the middle is, as it were, his badge of office. Our
farrier does his work with conscientious earnestness,
concentrating all his thought and energy upon each
blow of the hammer. The task completed, he will
take an honest pride in the good piece of work he
has done for Betty.

It is interesting to know that old Betty's owner
was Mr. Jacob Bell, an intimate friend and business
adviser of Landseer.

Ill

SUSPENSE

A WOUNDED knight has been brought home to
his castle^ and a Hne of blood-stains on the floor
shows where he was carried through the hall to the
room beyond. The family and servants press after,
the door is closed, and the favorite hound is shut out
in the hall alone. Only the meaningless murmur of
voices, broken perhaps by the groans of his master,
tells what is going on within. It is a moment of
suspense, and the dog waits with drooping head, and
eyes fixed mournfully on the barrier which separates
him from the object of his devotion.^ So alert is
every sense that at the sHghtest touch upon the door
he will spring forward and push his way in.

It is some such story as this which the painter
tells us in the picture called Suspense.^ Every detail
is full of meaning to the imagination. The heavy
door, studded with great nails, calls to mind the old
Norman castle ; the gauntlets on the table and the
plume on the floor suggest the armor of the mediaeval
knight. The picture is like an illustration for one

^ A similar situation is described in the story of Boh, Son of Battle,
where the shepherd dog waits in suspense outside the sickroom of his
mistress.

2 A pretty imaginary story is woven about the picture in Sarah
Tytler's little book, Landseer^s Dogs and their Stories.

14 LANDSEER

of Scott's novels. Our knight may have been
wounded, like Ivanhoe, in a tournamento The scene
of the lists rises before us, the opposite lines of
mounted knights charging upon each other with
their lances, the shock of the meeting, the unhors-
ing of many, the blows of the battle axe upon helmet
and coat of mail, and finally the entrance of the
squires to bear their wounded masters to a place of
safety.

The hound had no part in the sports of the tour-
ney, but the scene of his glory was the chase.
When the knight went forth for a day's hunting in
the forest, the whole pack went with him, waking
the woodland echoes with their baying. Some famil-
iar verses tell of

" The deep-mouthed bloodhound's heavy bay
Resounding up the rocky way,
And faint from farther distance borne,
The echo of the hoof and horn."

The dogs' deHcate sense of smell enables them to
track game with unerring precision. It seems im-
possible to exhaust their perseverance or their wind,
and it is surely not their fault if a hunting-party
returns unsuccessful.

While hunting brings out the more ferocious ele-
ments of the nature, the hound is on the other hand
capable of an affectionate devotion which makes him
a valued friend of man. The Enghsh country gen-
tleman is a lover of dogs and horses, and knows how
to appreciate their good qualities. Out of the many
animals in his kennels one dog is usually a chosen

SUSPENSE 17

favorite which becomes his master's inseparable com-
panion. Such a favorite is the dog of our picture,
and we like to fancy that the knight is worthy the
love of so noble a creature.

The hound is represented in his best and noblest
aspect : all the forces of his being seem concentrated
in loving anxiety. It is as if suffering brought out
in the dog's nature those higher qualities by which
he is allied to human beings. His countenance is
intensely expressive yet thoroughly canine. Every
line of the drawing brings out the dog's character, —
the squat of the haunches, the position of the legs
far apart, the rising of the hair on the crest of the
back, the droop of the head, the flattening of the
tail.

The broad collar with the ring is a symbol of his
subjection. The privilege of man's friendship has
cost the dog his freedom. To offset the hours of
dehghtful companionship with his friendly master
are the weary times when he must tug impotently at
the chain which keeps him within the castle enclo-
sure.

It has been said that Landseer looked upon most
animals with the eyes of the artist, the poet, and the
natural historian, but the dog alone he painted as a
friend. Our picture is good evidence of the truth
of the statement. Every resource of the painter's
art was lavished upon his favorite subject with the
loving care that one gives only to a friend.

The massive size of the dog is seen by comparing
the figure with the height of the table and the door.

18 LANDSEER

The great creature practically fills the canvas. The
pose is so finely conceived, the figure itself so ad-
mirably " modelled/' to use the critic's phrase, that
it seems almost like a work of sculpture. The fight
and shadow are carefully studied. The light seems
to come from some source at the right, bringing
out strongly the expressiveness of the dog's face.
Landseer, we are told, was fond of introducing
into his pictures a bit of sparkling metal. Here the
reflected fight on the gauntlets, like that on the
spurs beside the King Charles Spaniels and on
the helmet near the Sleeping Bloodhound, add^ an
effective touch to the composition.

Suspense has been a popular favorite among
Landseer's works, and is one of the pictures referred
to in the Memorial Verses published in " Punch "
after the artist's death. This is the stanza describ-
ing it : —

" The lordly bloodhound with pricked ear,
And scent suspicious, watches for his lord
At the locked door, from whose sill, trickling clear,
The blood bespeaks surprise and treacherous sword,"

IV

THE MONARCH OF THE GLEN

An annual visit to the Scottish Highlands was one
of Landseer's pleasures. It was here that he learned
to know the habits of the deer, the subject of many
of his noblest paintings. His first journey to this
region was as a young man of twenty-two, in com-
pany with a friend and fellow painter, LesHe. An
incident of the excursion was a visit to Abbotsford,
the home of Sir Walter Scott. The painter and the
novehst had much in common in their attachment
to dogs, their fondness for vigorous out-of-door
exercise, and their love of nature.

Landseer was deeply impressed with the rugged
grandeur of the Highland scenery. Especially was
his imagination stirred by the mountain solitudes,
the haunt of the deer, which Scott had described
in his poems. A favorite resort was the valley of
Glencoe, a singularly wild and romantic spot where
a long narrow ravine is shut in between almost per-
pendicular hills.

The painter first made the acquaintance of the
deer after the ordinary manner of the sportsman.
For sport in itseK, however, he cared Httle or no-
thing ; the great attraction of hunting was the
chance to study the action of animals. His friends

20 LANDSEER

laughed at him for a poor shot, but his true weapon
was the pencil, not the gun. One day, while deer-
stalking, just as a magnificent shot came his way,
the gillies were astonished to have the painter thrust
the gun into their hands, and hastily take out his
sketch-book. It was the life and not the death of
the animal in which he was chiefly interested.

The Monarch of the Glen seems to be a picture
caught in just this way. The very life and charac-
ter of the animal are transferred to the canvas as by
a snap shot of the camera. The stag has heard
some strange sound or scented some new danger,
and, mounting a hill, looks abroad to see if all is well.
The responsibihty of the herd is his, and he has a
tender care for the doe and the young deer. He
must always be on the alert.

His attitude reminds one of Scott's " antlered
monarch " in " The Lady of the Lake," which

" Like crested leader proud and high
Tossed his beamed frontlet to the sky ;
A moment gazed adown the dale,
A moment snuffed the tainted gale."

It is with a proud sense of ownership that the
monarch surveys his domain. With head erect he
seems to defy the whole world of sportsmen. Behind
him are piled the massive crags of the mountain
peaks, with the mist rising from the valley below.
This fog, so dangerous to the traveller, is a blessing
to the deer, tempering the heat of the summer sun
and hiding him from his enemy, man. It appealed
to Landseer on account of its weiid sublimity, and

THE MONARCH OF THE GLEN 23

he liked to get the effect of it in his landscapes, espe-
cially when illumined by a burst of sunlight.

The Monarch of the Glen is a splendid specimen
of his kind. The spreading horns above his head
are like the boughs of an oak tree. We know from
the number of branches that he is seven years old.
The horns are developed at the end of the first
year, and every year thereafter are displaced by new
ones with an additional branch.

The large ears are held erect as if the animal could
fairly see with them. His fine eyes scan the horizon
with a searching glance which misses nothing. His
sensitive nose detects from afar the approach of any
stranger to his fastnesses. The end is always moist,
in order that he may catch the way of the wind, as
the hunter catches it on his moistened finger. His
neck is ench'cled with a heavy mane, falling in a
broad band, like the collar of a royal order. His
body is rather short, thick, and round.

The legs, which are seen only haK their length,
seem strangely disproportioned to the weight of so
heavy an animal. That the deer's horns are so large
and his legs so small are two perpetual mysteries
about this mid creature. An amusing fable by La
Fontaine relates how a stag, gazing at his reflection
in the water, deplores the awkwardness of his legs,
and admires the beauty of his antlers. A moment
later, fleeing for his Hfe, he learns the value of his
despised legs, while the boasted horns impede his
progress by catching m the branches of the forest
trees.

24 LANDSEER

The speed of which the deer is capable is indeed
marvelous. He adds to his power of fleet runnmg
a wonderful trick of bounding through space. It is
said that a deer may leap six or eight feet mto the
air, and cover in a single bound a distance of eigh-
teen to thirty feet. The leap is performed mthout
apparent haste or effort, the animal rising grace-
fully into the air by a tiny toe-touch of the dauity
hoofs. It is a sort of wingless flying.^ The deer
IS besides a strong swimmer, and lakes and streams
are no obstacles in his way.

As we look into the noble face of the Monarch of
the Glen, we feel a sense of kinship with him, Hke
the experience of Yan in the beautiful story of
" The Sandliill Stag." It was after followhig the
trail of the deer many days that the youth at last
came suddenly face to face with the object of his
desu-e, " a wondrous pair of bronze and ivory horns,
a royal head, a noble form behind it." As they
gazed into each other's eyes, every thought of mm-
der went out of Yan's heart, and gave place to a
strange sense of fellowship. " Go now without
fear," he said, " but if only you would come some-
times and look me in the eyes, and make me feel as
you have done to-day, you would diive the wild
beast wholly from my heart, and then the veil would
be a httle di-awn, and I should know more of the
things that wise men have prayed for knowledge

1 See The Trail of the Sandhill Stag, by Ernest Seton-Thompson,
from which is also drawn the information about the deer's moist nose.

THE TWA DOGS

The Scotch poet Kobert Burns, who died a few
years before Landseer's birth, was a kindred spirit
of the painter in his love of dogs and his sense of
humor. An early picture by Landseer illustrating
the poem of " The Twa Dogs " fits the verses as if
painter and poet had worked together. We are
told that Burns once had a coUie which he named
Luath, after a dog in Ossian's "Fingal." The
favorite came to an untimely end, through some
one's cruelty, and the poet was inconsolable. He
determined to immortalize Luath in a poem, and this
is the history of the tale of " The Twa Dogs."

The poem relates how

" Upon a bonny day in June
When wearing through the afternoon,
Twa dogs, that were na thrang ^ at hame,
Forgather'd anee upon a time."

Of the two dogs, one is the colHe Luath, here re-
presented as the friend and comrade of a plough-
man. He is described in broad Scotch as

" A gash 2 and faithf u' tyke
As ever lap a sheugh ^ or dike.
His honest, sonsie,* baws'nt ^ face,

^ Busy. 2 Knowing. 8 Ditch,

* Comely. ^ White-striped.

26 LANDSEER

Aye gat him friends in ilka place.
His breast was white, his touzie ^ back
Weel clad wi' coat o' glossy black ;
His gaucie ^ tail, wi' upward curl,
Hung o'er his hurdles ^ wi' a swirl."

Luatli's companion was a foreign dog, from " some
far place abroad, where sailors gang to fish for cod/'
in short, Newfoundland. He was, moreover, a dog
of " high degree," whose " locked, lettered, braw
brass collar showed him the gentleman and scholar."
The " gentleman " is appropriately called Caesar, a
name commonly given to Newfoundland dogs.

The picture carries out faithfully the poet's con-
ception of both animals. Luath is here to the very
life, with shaggy black back, white breast, and honest
face. We only regret that his position does not
allow us to see the upward curl of his bushy tail.
Caesar is a black and white Newfoundland dog with
a brass collar. The model is said to have been
Neptune, the dog of a certain Mr. Goshng.*

Though representing opposite stations in life.
The Twa Dogs were excellent friends. On this
occasion, weary of their usual diversions, they sat
down together on a hillock

" And there began a lang digression
About the lords o' the creation."

It is Caesar who opens the conversation, expressing
curiosity as to how the poor man can endure his life.
Luath owns that the cotter's lot is a hard one, but

1 Shaggy. 2 Bushy. ^ Hips.

^ Two years later (1824) Landseer painted the portrait of Mr.
Gosling's Neptune, showing head and shoulders in front view.

THE TWA DOGS 29

declares that in spite of poverty and hardships the
poor are " maistly wonderf u' contented." The talk
then drifts to the corruption of poHtics and the
vices of the rich. Caesar at last brings it to an end
by describing the wearisome monotony and empti-
ness of the fashionable life.

By this time it was sundown, and the two friends
separated, rejoicing " that they were na men, but
dogs."

The contrast between the two canine types is
well brought out in our picture. Even the attitudes
show their opposite temperaments. The collie is a
somewhat awkward figure, sitting on his haunches,
with legs far apart, nervously alert. The Newfound-
land dog Kes at his ease with one paw elegantly
crossed over the other. They talk muzzle to muz-
zle, the one long and pointed, the other thick and
square.

In those days the collie was chiefly the poor
man's dog, the indispensable aid of the shepherd, and
the friend of the laborer. It was not until later
years that, following the example of the Queen,
the rich began to notice his good quahties, and
he became a popular favorite. But neither Burns
nor Landseer needed to be taught by the dictates
of fashion to understand the coUie's fine nature.
The dog they portrayed, however, was not the
luxuriously reared pet we know to-day, but the un-
kempt companion of humble folk.

The Newfoundland dog, though of plebeian origin,
and a hard worker in his native land, is generally

30 LANDSEER

regarded as an aristocrat. He is dignified, gentle,
and kindly in nature.

Both dogs are very sagacious, and the painter and
poet agreed in giving them the thoughts and feel-
ings of human beings. In the picture Caesar seems
to be describing the fashionable revels he has wit-
nessed, while honest Luath listens in amazement to
the recital. The landscape is such as one might see
in Scotland. At the foot of the hill lies a lake,
beyond which is a range of low mountains.

Two years after painting the picture of The Twa
Dogs, Landseer made a pilgrimage to Ayr, the birth-
place of Burns, and rambled about the spots asso-
ciated with the poet's memory. That he took a
peculiar interest in the subject of the poem is shown
by the fact that over thirty years after he painted
it a second time, with some shght variations.

VI

DIGNITY AND IMPUDENCE

Any one with a sense of humor must often be
struck by the resemblance between the ways of dogs
and the ways of men. The dignified dog, the
vulgar dog, the nervous dog, the lazy dog, the im-
pudent dog, are all types of which there are many
hmnan counterparts. The dog, indeed, seems at
times almost to mimic the manners of men. So in
our picture of Dignity and Impudence we are at
once reminded of a corresponding situation in human
life.

The hound Grafton, posing as Dignity, lies at
the entrance of his kennel, his paws overhanging
the edge. His handsome head is held erect as he
surveys an approaching visitor with the air of an
elderly statesman receiving a political candidate.
There can be no doubt that his opinions are decid-
edly conservative.

A smaU Scotch terrier has been playing about
him, having no awe of his big host, but making him-
seH quite at home in his cosy quarters. He is like
a froHcsome child, playing about the statesman's
chair, while the old gentleman pursues his train of
thought quite undisturbed. Now at the sound of

32 LANDSEER

approaching footsteps the impertinent creature peeps
forth, with the curiosity of his kind, to see who the
newcomer is. His tongue is thrust halfway out at
one side hke that of a saucy street boy making
faces at the passers by. Though Dignity appar-
ently ignores the presence of Impudence, we may
be sure that the Httle fellow's antics afford him a
quiet amusement. Plainly the two dogs are the
best of friends.^

There is the greatest possible contrast between
them, both in character and appearance. The
bloodhound is of a ponderous nature which does
not act without deHberation. Thoroughly aroused
he may become quite terrible, but he is not hasty in
his judgments. The terrier is a nervous creature,
full of activity. We can see from the tense posi-
tion of his head in the picture that his whole body
is quivering with motion.

The bloodhound seems large even for his breed,
which averages about twenty-seven inches in height.
One of his huge paws is almost as large as the ter-
rier's head and could easily crush the httle creature.
But in spite of his reputation for fierceness his ex-
pression here is not at all savage. It is rather grave
and judicial, as if carefully summing up the charac-
ter of his visitor. While the terrier saucily asks
" Who are you ? " the bloodliound is steadily gaz-
ing at the intruder, as if to read his secret thoughts.

1 A story of a dog friendship as odd as that between Dignity and
Impudence is told apropos of this picture in Sarah Tytler's little
book, Landseer*$ Dogs and their Stories.

it. Hanfstaengl, photo.

JoUu Andrew i Son, Be.

DIGNITY AND IMPUDENCE
National Gallery, London

DIGNITY AND IMPUDENCE 35

A modern authority on dogs quaintly says of the
bloodliound's discrimination, " If he puts you down
as a bad character, or one who cannot be thor-
oughly trusted, there must be something radically
wrong about you, indeed."

Perhaps something of the gravity of the hound's
countenance is due to the looseness of the skin
about the head, making folds which suggest the
wrinkles in an old man's face. The eyes, too, are
rather deep set and impress one with the unfathom-
able depths of the dog's intelligence. How un-
like are the shining round orbs of the little terrier.
The hound's sleek short-haired coat comports well
with his dignity, while the long tangled hair of
the terrier suits his impudent character. With the
long overhanging ears of the larger dog are amus-
ingly contrasted the small sharp points standing
upright on his companion's head. Finally, were the
two dogs to Hft up their voices to greet the new
arrival, an odd duet would be produced by the deep
baying of one, broken by the short sharp yelps
of the other. Dignity and Impudence would each
find perfect vocal expression.

Our picture illustrates admirably Landseer's gen-
ial gift of humor and shows us how varied was his
power. As we have occasion to see elsewhere in
our book, some of his works deal wdth pathetic, even
tragic, subjects.^ Like other men of poetic imagina-
tion the painter seemed equally ready to call forth

1 See Suspense, The Highland Shepherd's Chief Mourner, War,
and The Hunted Stag.

36 LANDSEER

smiles or tears. While no one can look at Dignity
and Impudence without smiling at the contrast,
the fun is without irony. Pomposity and imperti-
nence are amusing quahties alike in dogs and men,
but are altogether harmless.

The painter has here kept strictly within the pro-
per limits of his art. A few slight changes would
entirely transform the character of the picture. By
exaggerating only a little the human quaHty of ex-
pression in the dogs' faces and suggesting a resem-
blance to some particular individuals, the picture
would become a caricature. Cartoonists have not
scrupled to borrow the design and adapt it to such
purjDoses. Landseer himself, however, had no aim
but to produce a humorous effect of contrast between
the two dogs.

VII

PEACE

A FLOCK of sheep and goats are pasturing on the
meadowland above some cHffs which rise abruptly
from the sea. To those famihar with the scenery of
England the place recalls at once the white cliffs of
Dover. The carel&kers are a lad and his sister, who
have brought with them a younger child. A shep-
herd dog is their assistant, one of those intelligent
animals trained to keep the flock together and to
lead it about.

It is noontide of a bright summer day. The sea
lies blue and still under the clear sky. The flock
no longer graze industriously, but rest in scattered
groups. The young people amuse themselves
quietly on the grass, and the dog has stretched him-
self for a nap. Overhead two large sea gulls take
their flight through the air.

There is a single reminder here of a time when
all was not so peaceful, — the rusty old cannon in the
midst. From these uplands a battery once frowned
across the Channel, threatening destruction to the
approaching enemy. The booming of guns re-
sounded where now is heard only the lowing of
cattle and the laughter of children. Happily the

38 LANDSEER

cannon has now so long been out of use that it has
become a part o£ the cliff, like one of the rocks.
The flock gather about it as a rallying place, and
in its black mouth grow tender herbs for the lambs
to crop.

No cottage is in sight, and we judge that our
young people have brought their flock from a Httle
distance. Two sturdy goats act as beasts of bur-
den in the family, both equipped with saddle and
bridle. As they rest now at one side they are the
impersonations of docility and dignity, but a hint
of mischief lurks in their complacent expressions.
One feels decidedly suspicious of the old fellow
with the long beard. Twin lambs lying at the
cannon's mouth are the softest and daintiest Httle
creatures of the flock. So, evidently, thinks the
sheep beside them, gently nosing the woolly back
of the one nearest.

The children are of the best type of English vil-
lagers, with fresh, sweet, happy faces. All three
are well dressed and have the tidy appearance which
is the sign of family thrift and prosperity. The
girl has her hair brushed back smoothly from her
forehead and knotted at the back like a little wo-
man's. She bears herself with a pretty air of
motherliness toward her brothers. Like other Eng-
lish village maidens, she is skilled in all sorts of
domestic duties and has few idle moments through
the day. Her sewing-basket lies beside her on the
ground, and while the dog looks after the sheep,
she busies herself with her work.

PEACE 41

Evidently she has some knitting under way, and
the work comes to a pause while she winds a new
skein of yarn. The little toddler may now make
himself useful by holding the skein. He is proud
of the honor and watches the rapidly moving thread
with fascinated eyes. So deftly do the fingers un-
tangle the snarls that the task is converted into a
game as absorbing as a cat's cradle puzzle. Even
the older lad, of the manly age to feel himself supe-
rior to such amusements, peers over the little one's
shoulder with genuine curiosity. In the excitement
of their occupation, the little knitter's straw bonnet
has slipped from her head far down her back, leav-
ing the plump neck exposed to the sun.

The full significance of the picture is best under-
stood in contrast with the companion subject. War.
The two pictures have been called by a critic " true
poem-pictures." The painter means to show here
that the choicest blessing of Peace is the prosperity
of the humbler classes, who are the bulwark of
the nation. Agricultural pursuits can flourish only
when arms are laid down. Happy is the land where
innocent children and dumb beasts can roam in
safety over the country.

The long level stretch of land and sea adds much
to the impression of tranquillity in the picture.
The imagination has a delightful sense of liberty in
great spaces. Ruskin has told us that this is because
space is the symbol of infinity. However we may
explain it, we certainly have here a pleasant sense of
looking across illimitable space over a world flooded
with sunshine.

42 LANDSEER

The picture recalls the stories of Landseer's first
lessons in drawing in the pastures near his boyhood
home. Here he practised all day on sheep, which
are the best subjects for the beginner, because they
keep still so long ! In later years his preference
was for animals of hvelier action, but in this excep-
tional instance, as if in reminiscence of his youth, he
painted a pastoral scene with much artistic feeling.

There are a good many more figures in the pic-
ture than are usual with our painter, and he there-
fore had a more difficult problem in bringing all
the parts into harmonious relations. It is inter-
esting to contrast it with the altogether different
kind of composition in the companion picture of
War.

VIII

WAR

In the exigencies of war a stone cottage seems
to have been used as a part of some rudely im-
provised earthworks. A detachment of cavalry
has made a charge against this rampart, and the
place now lies in ruins. To the smoke of battle is
added the smoke of burning timbers rising in a
dense cloud, which shuts out the surrounding scenes
as with an impenetrable curtain. Below the breach,
in a confused heap amidst the debris, lie some
of the victims of the disaster. There are two dra-
goons, vigorous men in the prime of life, and their
two splendid horses.

The man lying most plainly in sight has the ap-
pearance of an officer, from the sash worn diagonally
over his steel coat. He has fallen backward on the
ground beside his horse, one booted leg still resting
across the saddle. His face, well cut and refined, is
turned slightly away, and the expression is that of a
peaceful sleeper.

On the other side of his horse, his comrade lies in
a trench hemmed in by heavy beams. Both men
are already apparently quite dead : it is too late
.for the army surgeon or nurse. Death has come

44 LANDSEER

swiftly in the midst of action, and the tide of battle
has swept on, leaving them behind. The horse be-
longing to the man in the trench has died with his
rider ; we see only his fine head.

The other horse, though unable to rise, is still
alive. As he lies stretched on the ground, we see
what muscular strength he had, — a beautiful creature
whose glossy hide and sweeping mane and tail show
the pride his owner took in him. The two have
shared together all the hardships of the campaign, —
long journeys, short rations, extremes of cold and
heat, fatigue and privation. The horse has learned
to listen for the familiar voice, so strong in com-
mand, so reassuring in danger. Now even in his
dying agony he turns with touching devotion to his
master. Not a sound comes from the closed Hps,
not a flutter of the eyelids disturbs the calm of the
face.

Lifting his head for a last effort, the splendid
creature sends forth a prolonged whinny. This
must surely arouse the sleeper, and he fixes his eyes
on the impassive countenance with an almost human
expression of anxiety and entreaty. All in vain,
and in another moment the flames and smoke will
envelop them, and soon nothing will remain to show
where they fell.

This is the story we read in our picture of War.
There is nothing here to tell us whether the fallen
riders are among the victors or the vanquished.
We do not care to know, for in either case their
fate is equally tragic. It was England's iron duke

WAR 47

who said " Nothing except a battle lost can be half
so melancholy as a battle won."

Various small touches in the composition add to
the significance of the scene. Fresh flowers among
the heaps of stones show how recently there was a
smiling garden where now all is so ghastly. On
the ground lie an embroidered saddle-cloth, a bugle,
and a sword, emblems of the military hfe.

It is said that the horrors of war have never yet
been faithfully portrayed. Those who have lived
through the experience are unwilling to recall it,
while those who draw upon their imaginations must
fall short of the reality. Whenever any powerful
imagination comes somewhere near the truth, peo-
ple turn away shocked, unable to endure the spec-
tacle.^ Even this picture is almost too painful to
contemplate, yet it selects only a single episode from
a battlefield strewn with scenes of equal horror.

Landseer had himself seen nothing of war. The
Napoleonic wars had ended in his childhood and
the Crimean war was still ten years in the future.
It was in the quiet interim of the early reign of
Victoria when the picture was painted. The object
was to emphasize by contrast the blessings of peace
illustrated in the companion picture. As in Peace
we have a delightful sense of light, space, and liberty,
in War we have a suffocating sense of darkness,
limitation, and horror.

Of the many tragedies of the battlefield, naturally

1 As when the exhibition of Verestschagin's pictures was forbid-
den.

48 LANDSEER

the sort which would most appeal to Landseer's
imagination would be the relations between horses
and their riders. Always in close sympathy with
animal life, he had a keen sense of the suffering
which the horses undergo in the stress of conflict.
The real hero of our picture is the horse.

In an artistic sense also the dying horse dominates
the composition, his great bulk lying diagonally
across the centre of the foreground, and his lifted
head forming the topmost point of the group. All
the other figures are subordinated, both Hterally
and in point of sentiment. Their conflict is over
and they are at rest, but the suffering animal is
even now at the climax of his agony, his terror in-
creased by a desolate sense of loneliness. The pathos
of the situation is the deeper because of the animal's
inability to understand his master's silence.

The sentiment is one common with Landseer, as
we see in other pictures of our collection. It is the
favorite animal's love for his master made manifest
in some great trial. Like the bloodhound in the
picture of Suspense, and Hke The Highland Shep-
herd's Chief Mourner, the horse is raised by the
dignity of suffering to the level of human emotion.

IX

A DISTINGUISHED MEMBER OF THE HUMANE
SOCIETY

In his walks about the city and in the country
Landseer's eye was always quick to catch sight of a
fine animal of any kind. To his remarkable habits
of observation is due the perfect fidelity to nature
which we find in all his work. One day, in a street
in London, he met a Newfoundland dog carrying a
basket of flowers. He was struck at once with the
singular beauty of the dog's color. Newfoundland
dogs of various colors were at that time common
about London, red, brown, bronze, black, and black
and white. Landseer had already painted a black
and white one in the picture of The Twa Dogs, which
we have examined.

Here, however, was a dog of a beautiful snowy
white with a head quite black save the muzzle. The
painter was not long in making his acquaintance,
and learned that he was called Paul Pry. Permis-
sion being obtained to make the dog's portrait, our
beautiful picture was the result. It is probably this
picture which gave rise to the later custom of call-
ing the white Newfoundland dog the Landseer
Newfoundland, to distinguish it from the black.

50 LANDSEER

The Newfoundland dog is a general favorite for
his many good qualities. He is very sagacious and
faithful, and unites great strength with equal gentle-
ness. He is at once an excellent watchdoo- and a
companionable member of the household. Children
are often intrusted to his care : he makes a dehght-
ful playmate, submitting good-naturedly to all a
child's caprices and apparently enjoying the sport.
At the same time he keeps a watchful eye against
any danger to his charge, and no suspicious char-
acter is allowed to molest.

It is possible to train such dogs to all sorts of
useful service. In their native country of New-
foundland they do the work of horses, and har-
nessed to carts or sledges draw heavy loads. They
learn to fetch and carry baskets, bundles, and letters,
and are quick, reliable messengers.

Perhaps their most striking peculiarity is their
fondness for the water ; they take to it as naturally
as if it were their proper element. They are not
only strong swimmers, but also remarkable divers,
sometimes keeping their heads under the surface
for a considerable time. Nature seems specially to
have fitted them for the rescue of the drowning,
and in this humane caUing they have made a noble
record.

Innumerable stories are told of people, accident-
ally falling from boats, bridges, or piers, who have
been brought safely to land by these dog heroes.
The dog seizes the person by some part of the cloth-
ing, or perhaps by a limb, and with the weight

o 6

is fJ

A MEMBER OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY 53

dragging at his mouth, makes his way to the shore.
He seems to take great pains to hold the burden as
gently as possible, keeping the head above water
with great sagacity. Some one has told o£ seeing a
dog rescue a drowning canary, holding it so lightly
in his mouth that it was quite uninjured.

It is in his capacity as a life saver that the New-
foundland dog of our picture is represented, called
by the pleasant jest of the painter, A Distinguished
Member of the Humane Society. Surely no mem-
ber of the honorable body could be more efficient
than he in that good cause. He lies at the end
of a stone jetty, his fore paws hanging over its edge
a Kttle above water level. Nothing can be seen
behind him but the gray sky, with sea gulls flying
across : against this background the massive head
stands out grandly. He seems to look far out to
sea, as if following the course of a distant vessel.
A gentle lifting of the ears shows how alert is his
attention ; he is constantly on duty, ready to spring
into the water in an instant.

His attitude shows his great size to full advan-
tage, — the splendid breadth of his breast and the
solidity of his flank. The open mouth reveals
the powerful jaw. A sense of his strength is deeply
impressed upon us. The pose suggests that of a
couching lion, and has the same adaptability to
sculpture, as we may see by comparing it with the
bronze lion of the Nelson monument.

As the dog lies in the full sunlight, the picture is
an interesting study in the gradations of light and

54 LANDSEER

shadow, or of what in technical phrase is called
chiaroscuro, A critic calls our attention to " the
painting of the hide, here rigid and there soft, here
shining with reflected light, there like down ; the
masses of the hair, as the dog's habitual motions
caused them to grow; the foreshortening of his
paws as they hang over the edge of the quarry." ^

Other Newfoundland dogs are known to fame
through epitaphs written in their honor by distin-
guished men, such as Lord Byron, Lord Grenville,
and the Earl of Eldon. Never has dog had a nobler
monument than this Distinguished Member of the
Humane Society, whose portrait ranks among Land-
seer's best works.

The owner of the dog, Mr. Newman Smith, be-
came likewise the owner of the picture, and by him
it was bequeathed to the English National Gallery,
where it now hangs.

1 F. G. Stephens.

A NAUGHTY CHILD

In stories of the English village life of half a
century ago we often read of the " dame school,"
where children took the first steps in their educa-
tion. This would be held in the cottage of the
schoolmistress, who, in our imagination, was always
a kindly old woman in a big cap and short petticoats.
The children sat in rows on hard wooden seats, or
" forms," and gabbled their lessons aloud. Each
was provided with a slate on which letters and fig-
ures were laboriously inscribed. By the great fire-
place sat the mistress, and the big-faced clock ticked
off the slow hours. A striking contrast was this
to the kindergarten of the twentieth century !

Our picture shows us a corner of a dame school
where a naughty child is in a fit of temper. The
rough board walls, with great projecting beams,
show how little thought was given to schoolroom
adornment in those days. The high bench, with-
out back, is as uncomfortable a seat as one could
imagine. It is supposed that the children of that
period were strictly disciplined in good behavior,
but it appears that naughtiness was no less common
then than now. The refractory pupil who would

56 LANDSEER

not learn his lessons was condemned to sit on the
dunce stool, wearing the tall pointed cap. Natu-
rally he did not yield readily to his punishment, and
there was often a struggle with the mistress before
peace was restored.

The child oi our picture is evidently giving the
good dame a great deal of trouble. Neither threat-
ening nor coaxing can induce him to study his les-
son. The book is turned face down on the form,
and in a storm of rage the boy has thrown his slate
crashing to the floor. This exhibition of temper is
followed by a fit of sulks. He squeezes himself
into the smallest possible space in the corner, hud-
dling his feet together, toes turned in, and pressing
his arms close to his side. The raising of the shoul-
ders reminds one of the way a cat raises its back as
it shrinks from its enemy. The child's mouth is
twisted, pouting in a scornful curve. His eyes,
bright with unshed tears, glare sullenly before him
into space. Here is wilfulness and obstinacy to a
degree.

If the boy's face were not disfigured by anger,
we should see in him a handsome little fellow. He
is of a sturdy build, with plump arms and shoulders,
a noble head with a profusion of flaxen curls, and
a face which misrht be charmino^ in another mood.
If the schoolmistress could once win him she would
have a pupil to be proud of. Such a head as his
might produce a Daniel Webster.

The episode of the schoolroom is the story the
painter wished us to read in his work. The real

John Andrew & Son, Sc.

A NAUGHTY CHILD

Sonf/i Kensington Musentn, London

A NAUGHTY CHILD 69

story of the picture is quite a different tale. The
scene of the Naughty Child's temper was Landseer's
own studio, and the child was angry, not because he
had to learn a lesson, but because he must sit for his
picture. In those days, before the invention of pho-
tography, it was indeed a tedious process to obtain
a child's portrait. It is scarcely to be wondered at
that an active boy like this should not relish the
prospect of a long sitting.

Landseer was struck by the child's beauty and
was eager to make the picture. The outburst of
temper did not trouble him a bit. Seizing his sketch-
book he hastily drew the little fellow exactly as he
looked. It was characteristic of his art to reproduce
accurately every peculiarity of pose and motion, and
he found this attitude of the child far more novel
and interesting than the stiff pose of a commonplace
portrait. It seems hardly probable that the parents
could have been pleased to have their son's ill-temper
perpetuated. What they thought of the picture we
can only surmise. Certain it is that later genera-
tions of mothers, leading their children through the
gallery where the picture hangs, could not have
failed to pause and point the moral.

Our picture emphasizes the fact that Landseer's
artistic skill was not limited to the portrayal of ani-
mal life. How natural it was to think of him chiefly
as a painter of dogs is illustrated in the familiar
witticism of Sydney Smith. Being asked if he was
about to sit to Landseer for a portrait, he asked, " Is
thy servant a dog that he should do this thing ? "

60 LANDSEER

Had not Landseer's tastes gradually limited his
work to animal subjects, he might have become
well known both for his landscapes and his portraits.
He was especially happy in the delineation of chil-
dren, whose unconscious motions display the same
free play of muscle as do the animals. We have
seen in our picture of Peace how sympathetically he
entered into the heart of childhood.

Two English painters who preceded Landseer are
famous for their pictures of children, Sir Joshua
Eeynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence. It has not
been thought unsuitable to compare Landseer with
these great men, in the treatment of child subjects.
His works, says a critic,^ " without the color or sub-
tlety of character of Reynolds or the superfineness of
Lawrence, are quite equal to the first in naturalness
and to the second in real refinement, and are with-
out the mannerism or affectation of either."
1 Cosmo Monkhouse.

XI

THE SLEEPING BLOODHOUND

If a universal dog-lover like Landseer could be
said to have a preference for any particular kind^ it
was certainly for the bloodhound. This noble ani-
mal is of very ancient origin, known apparently to
the Romans, and introduced early in English history
into Great Britain. Apparently many gentlemen of
Landseer' s acquaintance were possessors of fine speci-
mens. One of these we have already seen in the
picture of Suspense, where the dog's senses are all
in intense concentration. Here, by contrast, the
Sleeping Bloodhound is seen in complete relaxation.

We might almost fancy the picture a sequel to
Suspense, and carry on our story to another chapter,
in which, the knight's wounds being stanched, the
door is opened and the dog admitted to his master's
presence. Quiet having fallen on the household, the
hound retires to a corner for a well-deserved nap.
He lies on a fur rug spread in front of an ottoman,
beside which stands his master's helmet. His fore-
legs are stretched out straight before him, his body
curled around, his head pushed forward in a position
which from a dog's point of view represents soKd
comfort.

62 LANDSEER

Though asleep he is still on guard ; the painter has
conveyed the impression of the dog's latent power,
even in repose. Like Rab, in Dr. John Brown's
famous story, he is ^' a sort of compressed Hercules
of a dog." As he Hes at his ease, we note the char-
acteristics of his kind, — the loose skin, the long
soft ears, the long thick tail. Of his most striking
quality there is no visible evidence, namely, his ex-
quisite sense of smell. It is this which has made
him so valuable to man, both as a companion of his
sports and a protector of life and property.

In former times when the resources of govern-
ment were limited, bloodhounds often served in the
useful capacity of a detective force. In the border
country between England and Scotland, before the
union of the kingdoms, these dogs were kept to
maintain safety, and to track criminals. In Cuba
they were put on the pursuit of outlaw^s and fugi-
tives from justice. This explains w4iy the dog has
sometimes been called a sleuthhound ; that is, a dog
set upon a sleuth, or trail.

In our own Southern States bloodhounds were once
used to recover runaway slaves, as we may read in
" Uncle Tom's Cabin." There have been times, too,
when the dog's unique gift of scent has enabled him
to find lost children and exhausted travellers, and
thus be a benefactor to humanity.

Whatever the task set him, whether for good or
ignoble ends, the bloodhound has always fulfilled it
with unflagging perseverance and devotion. He is
a dog to command both fear and admiration, and

THE SLEEPING BLOODHOUND 65

we count ourselves fortunate if we win his good
opinion.

The original of the portrait was Countess, the
bloodhound of Mr. Jacob. Bell, of whom we have
also heard as the owner of the bay mare Betty.
The dog had long been waiting for a portrait sitting,
but the busy painter seemed to have no time for the
work. Finally occurred a strange accident which
was the immediate cause of the picture. Poor
Countess fell one night from a parapet at Mr. BelFs
residence, in some unknown way losing her balance,
or missing her footing. The distance was between
twenty and thirty feet, and the dog was killed. Mr.
Bell immediately took the animal to Landseer's
studio, and there in an incredibly short time was
produced this portrait.

The story explains why the painter chose the
unusual theme of a sleeping dog. Ordinarily he
delighted in showing the expressiveness of a dog's
eye. This being here impossible on account of
the model's condition, we have instead a picture
which we would not exchange even for Suspense or
Dignity and Impudence. If we have here less of
those higher qualities which are brought out in the
dog's human relationships, we see the better the
purely animal side of his nature.

The union of power with repose is a rare combi-
nation in art, and one we associate with Greek sculp-
ture. The picture of the Sleeping Bloodhound has
what we call plastic qualities. We have a sense of
the massive solidity of the dog's body, as if it were

66 LANDSEER

modelled in clay. In this respect the picture should
be compared with the Newfoundland dog called the
Distinguished Member of the Humane Society, and
with the lion of the Nelson monument.

The helmet beside the dog is one of those pictur-
esque accessories which Landseer enjoyed putting
into his works. Like the gauntlets in the picture of
Suspense, it suggests the knightly deeds of chivalry
with which the bloodhound seems appropriately
associated. The reflection of light from the polished
surface of the metal makes an effective touch in the
picture.

It is by no accident that the helmet occupies the
place it does ; it is an essential part of the composi-
tion, serving precisely the same purpose which the
cavalier's hat does in the picture of the King
Charles Spaniels. Both compositions gain by this
device the necessary height to balance their hori-
zontal lines.

XII

THE HUNTED STAG

In his study of the deer in the Scottish Highlands,
Landseer found almost inexhaustible material for his
art. In fact, nothing of interest escaped him in the
life of this noble animal. If we could have a com-
plete collection of his pictures on this subject, they
would set forth the entire story of the deer. The
painter, as we have seen, did his hunting with a
sketch-book, and brought home, instead of so many
head of game, so many pictures with which to de-
light future generations. Many of these pictures
deal with tragic subjects, as in our illustration of
a Hunted Stag borne down a mountain torrent
with the hounds upon him. The pathetic side of
animal life appealed strongly to Landseer's dramatic
imagination. He who could see so readily the
comic aspects of a situation was equally quick in
his appreciation of suffering.

It has been said by a close observer of animal life
that no wild animal dies a natural death. ^ Every
creature of the woods lives in the midst of perpetual
dangers from some one of which, sooner or later, he
comes to a violent or tragic end. The rigor of the

1 Ernest Seton-Thompson in Wild Animals I have known.

68 LANDSEER

elements sometimes overcomes him,
heat or cold, flood or avalanche, the falling tree or
the crashing rock. It may be that some other ani-
mal which is his natural enemy finally falls upon
him and destroys him. The most cruel fate of all
is when he falls into the power of the sportsman,
matching against the wild creature's instincts his
wits, his dogs, and his rifle. In such an unequal
contest man seldom fails to win.

Deerstalking was long the favorite sport in Eng-
land, dating from the early days of semi-barbarism,
when the only serious pursuits of the rich were
war and the chase. The forest laws of the old Nor-
man kings set the punishment for killing a deer,
except in the chase, as great as for taking a human
life. Large tracts of land were reserved for hunting
grounds in districts which might otherwise have
been covered with prosperous villages. Down to
our own times, a large pack of hounds was main-
tained by the English crown solely for the use of
royal hunting parties. At length, at the beginning
of the twentieth century, the new king, Edward VII.,
has abolished the custom.

It would seem that the deer was well fitted by
nature to cope with his enemy the sportsman. His
senses are so exquisitely delicate that he detects the
approach of the hunter at a great distance. As soon
as he takes alarm he flees from the danger, covering
the ground in flying leaps with incredible speed.
From time to time he pauses on some hilltop to
locate anew the position of the enemy.

THE HUNTED STAG 71

As he begins to tire, he resorts to stratagem as a
substitute for speed. Sometimes another deer comes
to his aid, taking the track he has made, while he
hides in some thicket or flies in a different direction.
One of his tricks is to run backward over his course
for a number of yards, and then leap aside to start
in another way. The story of the Sandhill Stag
tells how a. deer used this device three times in suc-
cession, the last time returning to a thicket near his
track from which he could discern his pursuer long
before the trail would bring him too near. After
this, grown more desperate, the stag circled round
till he joined his old track, and then bounded aside
to let the hunter follow the cold scent.

When all such artifices fail, the hunted deer's last
resort is the water. Plunging into a lake or moun-
tain stream, he swims up the current, taking care
not to touch any brush on the bank, lest he leave a
scent for the hounds. It is said that he can even
hide under the water, leaving only the tip of his
nose above the surface.

The stag of our picture has reached the water too
late ; already the hounds are upon him. The mass
of struggling animals is swept along the current of
a mountain stream to an inevitable doom. The
hunted creature raises his noble head in his dying
agony, seeking to escape his tormentors. Even yet
he strikes out in a brave attempt to swim, but the
end is only too plain.

The painter's art has set the tragedy very forci-
bly before us. Behind is a lake, around which rises

72 LANDSEER

a ranofe of hio^h hills. A sino^le break in their out-
line admits a ray of sunlight into the sombre gran-
deur of the scene. The narrow stream which issues
from the lake falls between huge boulders, in a
steep descent. The struggle of the dogs with their
prey churns the torrent into foam about the body of
the stag.

While we admire the art which can produce such
a picture, the subject, Hke that of War, is too painful
for enjoyment. We must turn again to the Mon-
arch of the Glen, and from the contrast of the
dying with the hving, we enjoy the more the splen-
did vitality of the animal.

XIII

JACK IN OFFICE

In the time of Landseer a familiar figure about
the streets of London was the itinerant dealer in
dog's meat. His outfit consisted of a square covered
wheelbarrow in which he carried the meat, a basket,
a pair of scales, knives, skewers, and similar tools of
his trade. His assistant was a dog, whose duty was
to guard the meat barrow while the butcher called
for orders or delivered his goods. In this capacity
a dog would serve even better than a boy, in keep-
ing hungry animals from his master's property.
There is a quaint old saying that " it takes a rogue
to catch a rogue." The dog's wages were all the
meat he could eat, and having satisfied himself to
the point of gluttony, there would be no danger of
any inroads on the meat from him.

In our picture a butcher has left his barrow
standing on the cobble-stone pavement at the corner
of the narrow entrance to a square. His dog Jack
controls the situation in his absence, and rules with
undisputed authority.

Such is the master's confidence in the dog's ability
to manage, that he has taken no pains to put the
meat away in the barrow. A large cut is left in

74 LANDSEER

the scale pan, and a basket on the pavement con-
tains some choice bits. Naturally the tempting odor
has drawn a number of stray street dogs to the
place.

From his elevated position Jack surveys them as
a monarch receiving a throng of obsequious cour-
tiers. As a matter of fact he is himself a low mon-
grel cur, vastly inferior in origin to some of the
surrounding dogs. Circumstances having raised
him to a position of authority he regards them all
with supercilious disdain. A miserable, half starved
hound approaches the basket with eyes fixed hun-
grily on the contents, the tail drooping between the
shaking legs, the attitude expressing the most abject
wretchedness. He is a canine Uriah Heep profess-
ing himself " so 'umble." Behind is a retriever,
uplifting a begging paw, and farther away are other
eager dogs. A puppy in front has just finished
eating, and, still gnawing the skewer, looks up to
ask for more.

Not one of them all dares touch the meat, though
Jack moves not a muscle to prevent them. It is a
question whether an overfed, tight-skinned animal
like this would prove a very redoubtable enemy in a
fight. Jack's influence, however, is due in no small
measure to his sagacious air of importance. Seated
on his haunches, he holds between his fore legs the
handle of the scales as the insignia of office. A
broad collar and a small leather harness show he has
to take his own turn in serving another. Ignoring
the appeal of the puppy, he turns to the group of

JACK IN OFFICE 77

larger dogs, regarding tliem with a contemptuous
expression of his half-closed eyes. He has been a
keen observer of dog nature, and knows what value
to place upon the professions of these fawning crea-
tures.

The situation inevitably suggests corresponding
relations in human life. It often happens that a
man of inferior qualities is raised to some position
of authority which he holds with arrogant assump-
tion. Himself the servant of another, he delights
in the exercise of a petty tyranny. He is forthwith
surrounded by a throng of flatterers seeking the ben-
efits he has to bestow. It is pitiable to see how some
who were originally his superiors humiHate them-
selves before him. Like the sycophant hound and
the imploring retriever, they seem to lose all sense of
self-respect.

One can see how easily the picture of Jack in
Of&ce could be converted into a caricature, and it is
not surprising to learn that it has been used in Eng-
land as a political cartoon. American politics might
also produce many a parallel situation. The party
boss in a municipal government holding petty ap-
pointments in his control is a veritable Jack in
Office surrounded by his followers.

The humor of the picture is, as we see, a trifle
keener than in Dignity and Impudence. Arro-
gance and sycophancy are such despicable qualities,
whether in dog or man, that they are held up not
only for our laughter but for our contempt.

As may be inferred from our previous illustra-

78 LANDSEER

tions, the greater number of Landseer's dog sub-
jects were drawn from animals of the finer breeds.
Jack in Office is unique in our collection as deahng
with the commoner animals of the street. Even
here, however, the painter found material for his
favorite theme of the dog's fidelity to his master.
Jack is, as it were, the butcher's business partner,
sharing alike in his labors and his gains. As we
are to see again in our next picture, the dog which
is made the companion of daily labor is even more
to his master than one which is merely a playmate.

It is instructive to examine one by one the details
of the composition, which the painter has rendered
with much technical skill. The vista of the square
at the end of the alley is a pleasant feature of the
composition, giving a more spacious background to
the group.

XIV

THE HIGHLAND SHEPHERd's CHIEF MOURNER

While the mountains of the Scottish Highlands
are haunted by deer, the valleys are the pasture
ground for large flocks of sheep. Here our painter,
Landseer, made the acquaintance of two unique
characters, the Highland shepherd and his dog.
In former times the shepherds of Scotland were no
ordinary men. The loneliness of the life in these
wilds left an impress upon their nature, making it
stern and serious. Not infrequently great readers
were found among them, and even poets. The
Ettrick shepherd James Hogg was one of Scot-
land's first men of letters.

The poet Wordsworth, whose boyhood was passed
in the north of England, describes in " The Prelude "
his admiration for the shepherds of that region : —

" There, 't is the shepherd's task the winter long
To wait upon the storms : of their approach
Sagacious, into sheltering coves he drives
His flock, and thither from the homestead bears
A toilsome burden up the craggy ways.
And deals it out, their regular nourishment
Strewn on the frozen snow. And when the spring
Looks out, and all the pastures dance with lambs,
And when the flock, with warmer weather, climbs

80 LANDSEER

Higher and higher, him his office leads
To watch their goings, whatsoever track
The wanderers choose.

A rambling schoolboy, thus
I felt his presence in his own domain,
As of a lord and master, or a power,
Or genius, under Nature, under God,
Presiding ; and severest solitude
Had more commanding looks when he was there."

The shepherd would be helpless without his dog,
the collie, whose astuteness and skill can hardly be
overstated. The trained sheep dog learns to know
every individual member of the flock, so that if a
straggler goes beyond bounds, he will reclaim it ; if
an intruder enters he will drive it out. When the
flock is to be led home, he gathers the scattered por-
tions into a compact body and keeps them in the
way. A sagacious dog belonging to Hogg once
amazed his master by gathering together a flock of
seven hundred lambs which had broken up at mid-
night and scattered in three directions.

The collie is fitted by nature with special qualifi-
cations for his peculiar work. His neck is long
and arched, that he may put his nose well to the
ground and stretch it when running. His half
pricked ears are the best possible for distinguishing
sounds at a distance, and the part that falls over pro-
tects the inner ear from the rain. His thick coat
is proof against rain, snow, or wind, and the heavy
mane shields the most vulnerable part of his chest,
like a natural lung protector. With bare hind legs,
long and springy, he can make his way easily in the

THE HIGHLAND SHEPHERD'S CHIEF MOURNER 83

heather. The long, tapering muzzle gives a pecul-
iarly intelligent look to the face. An authority on
dogs says, '' There is, if the expression may be used,
a philosophic look about him which shows thought,
patience, energy, and vigilance."

The shepherd and his dog are constant compan-
ions from dawn to sunset, sharing the responsibili-
ties of their charge. Common hardships seem to
knit the friendship, and the tie between them is un-
usually close. We can easily understand that a
faithful dog deprived of his master would mourn
him deeply. Such grief is the subject of our pic-
ture, The Highland Shepherd's Chief Mourner.

An old shepherd living alone in his rude cottage
has thrown down his hat and staff for the last time.
His neighbors have prepared his body for decent
burial, the cof&n has been closed and nailed, and
now stands on the trestles ready for removal. The
shepherd's plaid has been laid over it as a sort of
pall, and a bit of green is added by some reverent
hand. For the moment the house is deserted, and the
dog is left alone with all that represents his master's
life to him. His mute grief is intensely pathetic ;
speech could not express more plainly his utter de-
spair.

A beautiful description by Ruskin suggests the im-
portant points to notice in the picture, — " the close
pressure of the dog's breast against the wood, the
convulsive clinging of the paws, which has dragged
the blanket off the trestle, the total powerlessness
of the head laid close and motionless upon its folds,

84 LANDSEER

the fixed and tearful fall of the eye in its utter hope-
lessness, the rigidity of repose which marks that there
has been no motion or change in the trance of agony
since the last blow was struck on the cof&n-lid, the
quietness and gloom of the chamber, the spectacles
marking the place where the Bible was last closed,
indicating how lonely has been the life — how un-
watched the departure of him who is now laid
solitary in his sleep."

The critic shows that the skill with which the
painting is executed, remarkable as it is, is not so
great a thing to praise the painter for as the imagi-
nation which could conceive so pathetic a scene.
The picture is, he says, " one of the most perfect
poems which modern times have seen."

The incident which Landseer imagined has doubt-
less many a parallel in actual life. There is a story
of a traveller who was killed by a fall from a preci-
pice near Mt. Helvellyn. Three months later his
remains were discovered, watched over by the faith-
ful dog. Scott's poem " Helvellyn " commemorates
the incident,^ and the hue telling how —

" Faithful in death, his mute favorite attended,"

expresses well the spirit of our picture.

^ Wordsworth's verses on Fidelity apparently refer to the same
story.

XV

A LION OF THE NELSON MONUMENT

Our conception of the range of Landseer's art
would be quite inadequate if we failed to notice his
studies of the lion. Though his works on this sub-
ject were not numerous, he was all his life greatly
interested in the noble animal called the king of
beasts. As a boy, he used to visit a certain mena-
gerie called Exeter Change, and make drawings of
the beasts there. A drawing of a Senegal lion,
made here at the age of nine, is very creditable.
The same menagerie furnished, many years later, the
material for his first serious lion study. One of the
animals having died, Landseer obtained the body
for dissection. His methods of work were always
thorough. He beheved that it was only by master-
ing an animal's anatomy that a painter could faith-
fully reproduce its motions and attitudes. The
result of his studies on this occasion was an interest-
ing series of pictures, — A Lion disturbed at his Re-
past, A Lion enjoying his Repast, and A Prowling
Lion.

Naturally opportunities for dissecting lions were
not frequent, and the painter had to bide his time
for further studies. A friend who could help him

S6 LANDSEER

in this respect was Mr. Mitchell, secretary of the
Zoological Society. Whenever the secretary hap-
pened to have a dead lion on his hands, he offered
Landseer the first chance to obtain it. An amusing
story is told of one of Mr. Mitchell's efforts in his
friend's behalf. A company of guests was gathered
one evening at Landseer's house, when suddenly a
man servant appeared at the drawing-room door,
and quietly asked, "Did you order a lion, sir?"
The inquiry was made in a matter-of-fact tone, pre-
cisely as if ordering lions were an every-day affair,
like ordering a rib of beef, or a leg of mutton.
There was a sensation among the guests, and mucb
merriment was caused by their pretended alarm.
Tradition says that Charles Dickens was of the party,
and it was he who often told the story afterwards.
As it proved, Mr. Mitchell had sent the painter a
lion which had died that day in the Zoological
Garden of Regent's Park.

In 1859 Landseer received an important commis-
sion from the English government requiring all his
knowledge of the lion. His task was to model some
lions to ornament the Nelson monument in Trafalgar
Square, London. This monument had been erected
more than fifteen years before (1843), in memory of
the admiral under whose leadership the English fleet
had won their victory off Cape Trafalgar, October
21, 1805. It consisted of a tall granite column
surmounted by a statue of Nelson. To make the
base of the column more imposing, it now seemed
desirable to place colossal bronze figures of lions at
the four corners.

?i>

A LION OF THE NELSON MONUMENT 89

With characteristic thoroughness, the artist made
his preparatory studies. Two of these are rough
sketches on canvas in the National Gallery of Lon-
don, and show distinctly the original data for his
final conception. Apparently they are studies from
menagerie animals. One is in profile, showing the
beast as he creeps in snarling discontent within the
limited area of his cage. The other sketch has
caught the attitude of the animal lifting his head to
scan an approaching visitor. In these two studies,
Landseer obtained the proper proportions of the side
face, from nosetip to ear, and the length of the front
face, from the crest of the mane to the lower jaw.
They also show completely the manner in which the
mane grows, both along the back and on each side
the face.

It could not be expected that a man who had
been all his life a painter would immediately acquire
proficiency as a sculptor. Landseer had his lions
under way nearly ten years, and in the mean time
practised himself in the new art by modelling the fig-
ure of a stag. Certain qualities of sculpture he had
already shown in some of his paintings. The pose
of the Newfoundland dog: called A Distino^uished
Member of the Humane Society is conceived in the
spirit of plastic art. So also is The Sleeping Blood-
hound. When it came, therefore, to modelling a
figure, the artist understood well how to secure a
monumental pose. In this point his work is especially
successful.

The lion lies in a grand, majestic attitude. The

90 LANDSEER

mane rises like a crown on his brow, and falls in
splendid masses on either side his head. The mouth
is open, and the expression a little mild for dignity.
One is reminded of the tamed spirit of the mena-
gerie captive rather than of the proud majesty of the
animal in his native wilds. A work of this sort
must necessarily have a certain stiffness and conven-
tionality which we should not like in a painting.

It is said that Landseer modelled only a single
figure, and the others were cast from the same model
with slight variations. When at last the work was
completed, the colossal figures were mounted on
huge pedestals radiating diagonally from the four
corners of the square base of the monument.

/ XVI

THE CONNOISSEURS

The story of Landseer's art career was a series
of continuous successes from his precocious boyhood
to his honored old age. He was an exhibitor at the
Royal Academy when he was in his teens, and early
in his twenties he was successful enough in his pro-
fession to set up an establishment of his own. He
then took a small house in a pleasant part of London
known as St. John's Wood, and fitted up the barn
into a studio. The place was called Maida Villa, as
a compliment to the famous staghound which was
Sir Walter Scott's favorite dog. Here Landseer
lived, like Sir Walter himself, surrounded by dogs.
He never married, and his sister, Mrs. Mackenzie,
was for many years his housekeeper.

His life was, of course, a very busy one, filled
with commissions which came much more rapidly
than he could execute them. His house was en-
larged as his means permitted, and became a delight-
ful resort for many favored guests. The painter
was of a frank nature, genial and kindly among his
friends, witty in conversation, and a clever mimic.
An invitation to one of his parties was a privilege.
Many were the distinguished patrons who visited

92 LANDSEER

his studio ; even the royal carriages were sometimes
seen standing at the door of Maida Villa.

His work was duly rewarded with the proper
honors. At the age of twenty-eight, the painter
was elected to membership in the Royal Academy,
and twenty years later he was knighted. Thereafter
he was known as Sir Edwin Landseer, probably the
most popular painter of his day.

He is described as a man of heavy figure, six feet
in height, with a weather-beaten countenance. He
used to wear a sober gray tweed suit, and had the
general appearance of an English country gentle-
man. His movements were quick and energetic.

Our portrait shows him at the age of sixty-two,
when his beard was white. His face is attractive
because of the kindly expression, but it is by no
means handsome. The redeeming feature is the
high broad forehead, the sign of the fine poetic
temperament of which so many of his works are
proof.

It was characteristic of Landseer to paint his por-
trait with his dogs. Neither the man nor his art
can be separated from the animal to which he devoted
his best gifts. The dogs give the title to the pic-
ture, and with the genial humor natural to the
painter, he represents himself as the subject of their
criticism. Holding his sketch-book across his knees,
he appears to be making a pencil study of some dog
subject, while over each shoulder peers the grave
face of a canine " Connoisseur." The dog at the
painter's right seems to express approval, while his

THE CONNOISSEURS 93

more critical comrade on the other side reserves
judgment till the picture is completed.

It would appear that Landseer's dog pictures were
faithful enough to satisfy the judgment of the origi-
nals. " We cannot help believing/' writes an ad-
miring critic/ " that the manner in which Landseer
drew the forms and expressed the character of the
canine race would have been rewarded with the
gratitude, if not the full satisfaction of such a critic.
. . . On the whole, seeing that he was but a man
[the Connoisseurs] must, we fancy, have allowed
that he was a good artist, a fair judge of character,
and meant kindly by them."

The honors bestowed upon Landseer culminated
at the time of his death in the magnificent funeral
ceremonies attending his burial at St. Paul's Church,
London. His body was laid near those of Sir
Joshua Reynolds, Turner, Fuseli, and other famous
English painters. In the memorial sermon follow-
ing the funeral, the painter's character was fittingly
summed up in a few lines from Coleridge's " An-
cient Mariner."

" He prayeth well who loveth well
Both man and bird aud beast,

" He prayeth best who loveth best
All things, both great and small,
For the dear God who loveth us
He made and loveth all."

1 Cosmo Monkhouse.

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