The dog and his shadow, plate
(c. 1875)
- Medium
- earthenware
- Measurements
- 2.3 × 22.3 cm diameter
- Place/s of Execution
- England
- Inscription
- impressed in base u.c.: MINTONS
- Accession Number
- 2012.110
- Department
- International Decorative Arts
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
The Dr Robert Wilson Collection. Gift of Dr Robert Wilson, 2012 - Gallery location
- Gallery 18
Level 3, NGV Australia - About this work
-
This work depicts a tale from Aesop’s fables that warns against being greedy. In the fable, a dog is on its way home carrying a piece of meat when, crossing a bridge, it catches sight of another dog carrying a larger piece of meat. The first dog wants to have both pieces and attempts to snatch the meat from the other dog; it opens its mouth, and the meat falls into the water beneath the bridge. The second dog was merely the first dog’s reflection, and it learns a valuable lesson, being left with no meat at all.
