Vintage Dogs

One of my favorite pastimes is looking up cool vintage finds on Etsy – In particular, antique metal dog figures. I struggled during my time in art school to make and to defend the value of “representational art,” which can be loosely defined as art that is shaped in the likeness of immediately recognizable objects and/or subjects. Such art is not in fashion right now. I have always been drawn to representational art. I am impressed by artists that can/could accurately sculpt anatomy, and celebrate nature in small interesting forms. There is no better era to find such masterfully crafted small objects than in the beginning of the 20th century. At the time, even more homewares had elaborate decorations. I admire the skill that it took to craft detailed forms, such as the above collection of small dog figures, all circa 1900-1940. Not only are these forms detailed and realistic — in making them, the artists also had to take the challenging process of moldmaking into account, since all were cast in brass or iron. Sadly the artists go unnamed today, but the upside for those who appreciate their work is that these are relatively inexpensive little works of art. 

{ I’ve put together a few of my favorite recent finds, including the dogs above, here. }