Study of a Dog
(1813)
(pencil on paper, 8 3/8" x 11 3/8")
by Sir Edwin Landseer
This pencil sketch was executed by Landseer when he was eleven years old. The dog pictured here may be a Newfoundland; I find that it bears a resemblance to the 1790 Newfoundland illustration by Thomas Bewick, discussed here at The Cultured Newf, as well as to other Newfoundland images of the period.
If this is indeed a Newfoundland, it may well be Landseer's earliest representation of the breed.
This work was offered at auction by Bonhams (September 2023), with an estimated sale price of £1,000 - £2,000; it did not sell.