The Lion-Dog of Malta—The Last of His Tribe

1844 · Mixed method engraving on chine collé; proof before letters · Drawings and Prints

The Lion-Dog of Malta—The Last of His Tribe — Thomas McLean|Sir Edwin Henry Landseer|Thomas Landseer|Goupil et Vibert|Victoria, Duchess of Kent|Queen Victoria

A portrait of Quiz, a Maltese terrier that belonged to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent. This print is based on a painting that the queen commissioned from Landseer the year that she ascended the throne, as a birthday present for her mother. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1840 and remains in the Royal Collection. The small white, long haired dog with a bell on his collar, sits on a table and rests one paw on the nose of a Newfoundland that rests its chin on the table. In front of the two are artist's tools, including a porte-crayon, brushes, pencils, a stump and quill pen, and a lump of bread intended as an eraser, that a mouse feasts upon.

Artist: Thomas McLean|Sir Edwin Henry Landseer|Thomas Landseer|Goupil et Vibert|Victoria, Duchess of Kent|Queen Victoria
Date: 1844
Medium: Mixed method engraving on chine collé; proof before letters
Department: Drawings and Prints
Credit line: Gift of Nicea Howard, 1952