Probably Netherlandish, early 17th century

Charles Graham Kinnaird, 13th Lord Kinnaird of Inchture, 5th Baron Kinnaird of Rossie (1912-1997);

Thence by descent until sold, 2022

This characterful bronze of an alert seated hound finds stylistic parallels in Netherlandish sculpture around 1600. The pose, modelling of the head, and smooth surface treatment are comparable to the Seated Panther (or dog) attributed to Willem van Tetrode and dated to the 1560s (Scholten, op. cit., p. 32, fig. 28). The dog's appearance further relates to the marble dog lying at the foot of Hendrick de Keyser's tomb of William of Orange (1533–1584) in the New Church in Delft. Nicknamed Pompey the Sad, the dog depicted there - a Spaniel or possibly a type of Pug - was famous for having saved his master's life during a previous assassination attempt. De Keyser's bronze group of Orpheus and Cerberus in the V&A Museum (A.5-1972) also affords interesting comparison in the treatment of the hound's bulging eyes and in the naturalistic handling of the teeth and the manner in which the dog sits on one side of his rump.

An XRF analysis of the present bronze supports a proposed Netherlandish origin in the late 16th or early 17th century, as the alloy is consistent with other Netherlandish bronzes from this period. The large internal threaded plug inside the back of the Hound is, however, an unusual feature which appears in some 17th-century French and Italian bronzes.

RELATED LITERATURE

F. Scholten, Willem van Tetrode, Sculptor (c. 1525-1580), exh. cat. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam and The Frick Collection, New York, 2003

The present lot is the subject of an X-Ray Fluorescence Report prepared by Yannick Chastang Ltd, dated 12 July 2022.