The very decorative pair of whippets, being a dog and a bitch, both displaying the original distressed lead paint layer, and two further paint layers, over gesso and composition bases, each hound in an alert seated position and facing opposing to each other and to plinth bases with canted corners, the wholes surviving from the second quarter of twentieth century England.
Unknown.
Whippets were bred to hunt by sight, coursing game in open areas at high speeds. One can find numerous representations of small greyhound-like hounds in art dating back to Ancient Egyptian times. Pharaohs bred a small sighthound dog related to the greyhound to keep in their palaces, and this dog may be the ancestor of today’s Whippets. In medieval England, a small greyhound breed became popular for use as a ratting dog. The first written English use of the word whippet with regard to a type of dog was in 1610.
Superb decorators’ pieces that would work best marshalling an entranceway.
The condition of the wholes is pleasing in terms providing a hugely decorative look, the layers of paint are exposed, being cream painted then camel painted, to a faux lead pigment which was the original base layer; there are cracks and losses as photographed; please refer to the photographs for a full visual reference.
By appointment only.
