© copyright Ria Hörter 2016 - Do not use or reproduce anything without written permission. This website was first launched in 2007. Pride Webdesign - Ruut Tilstra
In the eyes of the artist…
Fourteenth-century
engravers,
18th
–
century
painters
and
yesterday’s
photographers
all
show
us
dogs
as
seen
through
their
eyes.
Their
work
is
an
enlightening
way
to
follow
the
development
of
breeds
and
how they were seen in the eyes of the artist.
1.
Border Collie
2.
Beagle
3.
Dalmatian
4.
Field Spaniel
At
the
end
of
the
16th
century,
Dr.
John
Caius
described
in
Treatise
on
Englishe
Dogges
the
working
style
of
various
sheepdogs.
Their
style
of
driving
sheep
was
more
or
less
the
same
as
that
of
today’s
working
Border
Collies.
With
hand
signals
and
a
shrill
whistle,
the
shepherd
directed
his
dog
to
where
he
wanted
his flock to go.
In
both
the
20th
and
21st
centuries,
many
breeds
became
unemployed,
but
in
Britain
–
from
the
Borders
between
England
and
Scotland
to
the
Hebrides
–
people
can
still
enjoy
the
sight
of
large
flocks
of
sheep
driven
by
Border
Collies.
Upwards
and
downwards,
over
the
hilltops,
down
again,
to
the
farm
and
the
sheep fold. Perpetual motion through the ages…
At
the
beginning
of
the
19th
century,
England
had
many
different
sheepdogs,
not
only
Border
collies,
but
also
Scotch
collies,
Highland
collies,
Old
Welsh
Grey
sheepdogs,
Smithfield
sheepdogs,
Welsh
hillmen,
Cumberland
sheepdogs,
Dorset
blues,
Welsh
black-and-tan
sheepdogs,
bobtailed
sheepdogs,
etc.
From
the
mid-19th
century,
an
abundance
of
different
sheepdog
types
was
used
by
farmers
to
drive
their
cattle
and
sheep.
One
of
these
types
that
is
still
known
today
–
the
Border
collie
–
derives
its
name
from
the
Borders
and
from
a
black-
headed
sheep
with
black
legs:
the
coalley
or
black-faced
sheep.
According
to
the
Agricultural
Dictionary
(1743),
the
dogs
that
drove
and
tended
the
flocks
were called coalleys-dogs or coally-dogs.
If
you
are
interested
in
publishing
one
or
more
of
these
articles,
illustrations
and
photographs
included
please
contact
me.
E-mail: horter@tiscali.nl
All
articles
are
available
in
English
and/or in Dutch.
Looking
at
a
dog
breed
in
old
and
new
depictions
is
more
or
less
the
same
as
skating.
Just
as
you
think
it's
going
well,
the
ice
is
not
yet
thick
enough
and
you
end
up
in
cold
water.
Then
the
handsome
black-and-white-spotted
dog
is
not
a
Dalmatian
but
a
Great
Dane.
Just
because
the
unusual
coat
has
the
uniquely
recognizable
spots,
you
were
set
on
the
wrong
track.
Harlequin
Great Dane puppies bear an amazing resemblance to Dalmatian puppies.
A second problem is the artist. Is he or she a talented horse
painter
who
added
a
spotted
dog
to
fill
a
gap?
Or
is
the
painting
a
true-
to-nature rendering of a famous Dahnatian?
It
is
important
to
know
what
other
paintings
the
artist
has
made.
ls
he
or
she a talented animal painter, or a dilettante?
Sometimes
more
than
one
painter
worked
on
a
painting;
an
authority
on
dogs
or
horses,
for
example,
might
be
invited
to
finish
an
animal's
portrait.
Some
knowledge
of
European
history
is
required
when
writing
about
dog
breeds.
After
every
war
the
borders
changed,
especially
after
the
First
and
Second
World
Wars.
Before
the
Cold
War,
Yugoslavia
was
the
Dahnatian
's
country of origin.
During
the
Balkan
Wars
(1991-95)
Croatia
became
an
independent
republic
(
1991)
and
is
now
the
country
of
origin.
Turks,
Romans,
Italians,
Austrians
and
Serbs left a mark on Croatia - as well as its dog world.
The
name
of
the
breed
seems
to
be
derived
from
the
datmatica,
a
liturgical
tunic
dating
from
antiquity.
Dalmatia,
once
part
of
Yugoslavia,
is
now a region in Croatia.