Spanish school (XIX) - Ritratto antropomorfo

Spanish School of the late 19th century.

Anthropomorphic portrait

Oil on canvas / period 1850/900

Presentation of the painting

This curious painting, dated to the end of the nineteenth century, belongs to the line of anthropomorphic portraits, a genre that enjoyed considerable success between the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in bourgeois and decorative circles. The work depicts a dog—probably a German Shepherd—with an animal head and a human body, portrayed in half-length terms according to the standards of the official portrait.

The animal wears a nineteenth-century military uniform, adorned with decorations and honors, including a cross on the chest, a symbol of valor and loyalty. The pose is solemn and composed: the hands (humanized) rest calmly on a surface, recalling iconic models typical of aristocratic and military portraiture of the 19th century. The neutrally warm background helps focus attention on the figure, accentuating its almost “human” dignity.

From a stylistic standpoint, the work features a traditional painting technique, with a palette dominated by browns, dark greens, and ochre, today further softened by the patina of time and by the craquelure of the painted surface. The rendering of the dog's muzzle is surprisingly attentive and naturalistic, in contrast with the deliberately artificial construction of the human body, creating a subtle balance between realism and irony.

On a symbolic level, the painting can be read as a gentle satire or as an allegory of the virtues attributed to the dog—loyalty, obedience, discipline—translated into the language of power and military authority. A purely decorative or celebratory function is also not excluded, perhaps tied to a private setting, such as a study or a bourgeois drawing room, where works of this kind aroused curiosity and cultured amusement.

Taken as a whole, the painting represents an interesting record of late nineteenth‑century taste, capable of fusing academic tradition, visual humor, and moral symbolism, offering the contemporary viewer a reading that is at once fascinating and ironically ambiguous.

This series of anthropomorphic portraits is the work of a Spanish painter, active between 1830 and 1900; the work is unsigned. The painting is on a primed canvas and shows signs of aging.

Size: 70 x 50 cm

From a private collection

Condition: Good, with normal signs of wear - see photos

* the frame shown in the photo was used for demonstration purposes only / the frame is not part of the sale

Ideal for collecting and investing.

With a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law - Expertise

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