American & European Art

Provenance:

Private Collection, Scituate, Massachusetts

Vose Galleries, Boston, acquired from the above, October 1979 (as Harry Dutton's Dogs (Two Setters))

Private Collection, Pittsburgh, purchased from the above, December 1979

Literature:

Howard J. Cave, "Alexander Pope, Painter of Animals," Brush and Pencil, vol. 8, May 1901, p. 111, illus. (as In Leash)

J.W. Moran, "Artist and True Art Critic Akin", Brush and Pencil, vol. 16, July 1906, p. 131, illus. (as In Leash)

William Secord, Dog Painting, 1840-1940: A Social History of the Dog in Art, Woodbridge, 1992, p. 315, no. 296, illus. (as English Setters)

William Secord, Dog Painting, A History of the Dog in Art, Woodbridge, 2009, p. 399, no. 517, illus. (as English Setters)

One of the few American artists represented in the Scaife collection, Alexander Pope was critically acclaimed for his paintings of animals. Indeed, critics compared him with the great animal painters Sir Edwin Henry Landseer and Rosa Bonheur for his paintings that appealed to the sympathies of animal lovers. The Boston-born artist started his work as a sculptor in the 1880s, and then transitioned into painting as a specialist artist of dog portraits. English Setters, possibly commissioned by a Mr. Harry Dutton, looks to the profile format of the purebred portrait, but breaks the strict framing as the two dogs turn their heads attentively toward the viewer. Unlike the strict profile, full-body compositions of the purebred portrait type, this artwork depicts the pets in a more casual, relaxed environment. The present composition is one that Pope found successful, and he made variations of it for different clients.