Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-edwin-henry-landseer-323" aria-label="More by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Sir Edwin Henry Landseer</a>
Dignity and Impudence
Bequeathed by Jacob Bell 1859
animals: mammals
dignity
dog, bloodhound
dog, West Highland terrier
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
kennel
miscellaneous
mischievousness
objects
<p>Landseer was one of the most popular British painters in the nineteenth century. From the age of thirteen he exhibited drawings of animals at the Royal Academy. He was elected an ARA at the age of twenty-four, becoming an RA five years later. Dignity and Impudence is characteristic of Landseer’s tendency to give human attributes to animals. Landseer contrasts the large, dignified bloodhound with the small, mischievous terrier. These dogs, ‘Grafton’ and ‘Scratch’ were both owned by Landseer’s friend, Jacob Bell, who commissioned the painting.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
1 April 2006 – 27 August 2006
2006-08-27
5 October 2005 – 5 February 2006
2006-02-05
2005-10-05
Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/
25 March 2006 – 27 August 2006
2006-08-27
2006-03-25
Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, USA)
2006-04-01
Fierce Friends: Artists & Animals in the Industrial Era, 1750-1920
Loan-out
13 May 2006 – 1 January 2007
2007-01-01
1 October 2006 – 1 January 2007
2007-01-01
2006-10-01
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Houston, USA)
http://www.mfah.org
2006-05-13
The Dog in Art: from Renaissance to Post-Modern
Loan-out
6 October 2007 – 27 January 2008
2008-01-27
6 October 2007 – 27 January 2008
2008-01-27
2007-10-06
Manchester Art Gallery (Manchester, UK)
http://www.manchestergalleries.org
2007-10-06
Art Treasures Revisited
Loan-out
19 May 2012 – 2 December 2012
2012-12-02
19 May 2012 – 2 December 2012
2012-12-02
2012-05-19
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2012-05-19
Victorian Sentimentality
Collection based display
29 March 2023 – 15 October 2023
2023-10-15
29 March 2023 – 15 October 2023
2023-10-15
2023-03-29
The Wallace Collection (London, UK)
http://www.wallace-collection.org.uk
2023-03-29
Portraits of Dogs
Loan-out
Dignity and Impudence
support: 889 × 692 mm
frame: 1155 × 952 × 108 mm
Bequeathed by Jacob Bell 1859
<p>Landseer's dog <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>paintings</span></a> of the 1830s are among his most celebrated works and<i> Dignity and Impudence</i> remains the most popular of all.  Many, including this work, consist of commissioned, life-size '<a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/portrait" title="Glossary definition for 'Portrait'"><span>portraits</span></a>'; the rest are independent subjects, smaller in scale and usually with a <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/n/narrative" title="Glossary definition for 'Narrative'"><span>narrative</span></a> content.  Here Landseer wittily contrasts the scale and character of a bloodhound called Grafton and a West Highland terrier called Scratch. Both dogs belonged to Jacob Bell, who commissioned the picture. The picture's <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/composition" title="Glossary definition for 'Composition'"><span>composition</span></a> parodies the Dutch portrait tradition, whereby the subject is framed by a window, with an arm or hand extending over the edge, just as the bloodhound's paw hangs over the edge of the kennel.  Landseer draws attention to the dogs' 'human' characteristics: the soulful look and gentle dignity of the bloodhound is contrasted with the mischievous expression of the small terrier. Moreover, the larger dog is painted in smooth, variegated textures, while the smaller dog comes to life with a few jabbing and expressive brushstrokes.

</p><p>Landseer juxtaposes different canine types in a similar way in two separate works, <i>High life</i> (Tate <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/landseer-low-life-a00702" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>A00702</span></a>) and <i>Low life </i>(Tate <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/landseer-high-life-a00703" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>A00703</span></a>). However, this picture marks a new type of subject in its comical treatment of the two dogs' relationship. Landseer went on to produce similar essays in the stately and the ridiculous in <i>Lion and Dash </i>(Badminton, Gloucestershire) and <i>Lion Dog</i> (Royal Collection), both dated around 1840.  The former contrasts a Saint Bernard with a King Charles spaniel and the latter a Saint Bernard with a Maltese dog.

</p><p>Grafton was an occasional visitor to several artists' studios in London. He was also a tenacious creature with a true fighting spirit. On one occasion he was locked in a stable with another dog.  The two dogs took an instant dislike to each other and were found the next morning badly wounded and at opposite ends of the building.  Bell was furious with the bloodhound and left him to die, but, against all odds, the dog recovered from his injuries.  Bell clearly had a softer spot for the terrier, and, whereas he threatened to shoot Grafton if he dared to misbehave again, he made a bet with the owner of a poodle that Scratch was the more attractive dog.  The issue was to be decided by Landseer himself, who, according to legend, took one look at Scratch and announced, without any prompting, 'Oh what a beauty!'  

</p><p><b>Further reading:<br/></b>Richard Ormond, <i>Sir Edwin Landseer</i>, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia 1982, pp.112-3, reproduced p.113, in colour.<br/>Christopher Wood, <i>Victorian Painting</i>, London 1999, pp.22-3, reproduced p.23, in colour.

</p><p>Frances Fowle<br/>November 2000</p>
Summary
2005-09-15T00:00:00
summary
SHORT_TEXT
<p>Landseer was one of the most popular British painters in the nineteenth century. From the age of thirteen he exhibited <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawings</span></a> of animals at the Royal Academy. He was elected an ARA at the age of twenty-four, becoming an RA five years later. Dignity and Impudence is characteristic of Landseer’s tendency to give human attributes to animals. Landseer contrasts the large, dignified bloodhound with the small, mischievous terrier. These dogs, ‘Grafton’ and ‘Scratch’ were both owned by Landseer’s friend, Jacob Bell, who  commissioned the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a>.  
</p>
Display caption
2004-09-08T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
animals: mammals dignity dog, bloodhound dog, West Highland terrier emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas kennel miscellaneous mischievousness objects