Johann Gottlieb Hackert (Prenzlau 1744-1773 Bath)
A spaniel in a landscape
signed and dated 'J. G. Hackert p: 1772' (lower left)
oil on canvas
45.1 x 56.2cm (17 3/4 x 22 1/8in).
Footnotes:
Provenance
The Collection of Mrs Jenkins, Penmere, Cornwall, by the 1920s, from whom acquired by the present owner's father in the 1940s


This charming portrait of a dog is a rare example of the work of Johann Gottlieb Hackert, who was best known for having collaborated with his older brother, Jacob Philipp, with whom he had worked in Paris and Rome after 1766, before producing gouaches of animals and landscapes for Lady Hamilton in Naples in 1770. The present painting will have been painted shortly after that when he came to England and where he exhibited at the Royal Academy. It is very comparable to his older brother's known studies, in various states of finish, showing dogs, cows, sheep, goats and other animals. As a finished and signed representation, it was most likely commissioned by the owner of the sitter.