Oil on canvas

With Galerie Axel Vervoordt, Belgium, from whom acquired by the present owner in 1998.

The canvas has been relined. The paint surface is somewhat flat and a little dirty, though the details and colours of the painting are well-preserved. The background is a little abraded, particularly above the right hand dog. An old restored curved tear in the lower left hand corner, approximately 12 cm. in length, is visible to the naked eye due to the discolouration of its retouching. Some concentrated retouchings are apparent in the lower right hand corner, where there is an old knock. Retouchings to the margins, which presumably respond to old frame abrasion, are also visible to the naked eye, particularly along the lower half of the right hand margin. Inspection under UV light is impeded by the reflective varnish covering the work but does confirm the aforementioned retouchings. Just a handful of scattered spot retouchings to the dogs and background fluoresce. Offered in a black wooden frame with gold painted plaster mouldings in fair condition.
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It seems that Tiberio Titi, son of the great Florentine portrait painter and architect Santi di Tito, made a speciality out of depictions of dogs. Although a large proportion of dog 'portraits' in a Florentine style, of varying quality, have been at one time or another attributed to Titi, he was an exceptionally skilful painter such that only the very best of them can with any degree of certainty be given to him. Bellesi cites a similar dog portrait, formerly with Giovanni Pratesi, that he attributes in full to the artist.¹ 

The Medici's fascination with animals and the enthusiasm with which they collected them from the 15th century onwards has resulted in a large number of Florentine dog portraits, and amongst the most famous of these is Titi's Dwarf with the Medici dogs in the Boboli gardens.² Another Medici dog, the so-called cane moscato,³ bears a striking resemblance in its execution to the dogs here depicted; that, too, has been attributed to Titi, though with no degree of certainty. For further dog portraits see the exhibition catalogue Natura viva in Casa Medici (1985-86).

1.  S. Bellesi, Catalogo dei Pittori Fiorentini del '600 e '700, Florence 2009, vol. I, p. 260, reproduced vol. III, p. 338, fig. 1589.
2.  M. Mosco, S.M. Trkulja, Natura Viva in Casa Medici, exhibition catalogue, Florence 1985-6, p. 85, reproduced.
3.  Ibid., p. 86, reproduced.