Molossian Hound: Overall view, side view

Creator:

unknown (Ancient Roman sculptor, after Greek original)

Published/Created:

after 2nd century BCE- 1st century CE

Date Depicted:

5/24/2007

Materials:

marble

Notes:

Hellenistic realism extended to the expressive portrayal of animals as well as humans. Many bronze animal sculptures of this period are only known to us through Roman marble copies. The Molossi inhabited ancient Epirus (now northwest Greece and Albania). Molossian hounds were related to the modern mastiff and were famously fierce. They were often used a guard dogs by herdsmen and for the household security in cities. Aristophanes, the fifth-century comic dramatist, speaks of the hazards of trying to get past a doorway guarded by a Molossian dog, while the infamous Athenian statesman and general Alcibiades is said to have kept one with a docked tail. This dog once wore a collar. Its gaping jaws show powerful teeth, but the relaxed pose and upward gaze gave it an obedient air. Five other versions of this sculpture, all found near Rome, are thought to be Roman copies of a lost Greek bronze original, probably of the 2nd century BC. This version is sometimes known as the 'Jennings Dog', because it was once owned by Henry Constantine Jennings (1731-1819), who bought it in Rome in the 1750s.

Topics:

Sculpture -- Roman -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Greco-Roman
Hellenistic

Culture:

Roman

Accession Number:

7A3-G-BM-MH-A2

Genre:

sculpture (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

animals; dogs; guard dogs; herding dogs carving visual works; sculpture (visual work)

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Module Four

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
5/24/2007

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Original Repository:

London, England: British Museum

Local Record Number:

4152

OID:

10109668

PID:

digcoll:1852826