Relief Panel of Dog 1935 - 1942

Flora Merchant’s ‘Relief Panel of Dog’ presents a tableau steeped in primal instincts. We see a dog amidst reeds, perhaps on the hunt, its form rendered in a style reminiscent of ancient friezes. The symbol of the dog, humanity’s oldest companion, appears throughout history, from the loyal guardians of Egyptian tombs to the hounds of the Greek goddess Hecate, linking the earthly and the spectral realms. Consider the dogs in Renaissance paintings, often emblems of fidelity and vigilance. Yet, this panel speaks of a more fundamental bond. The dog is part of a collective memory, a shared understanding of loyalty, protection, and instinct. Here, the animal’s crouching stance evokes a primal alertness that resonates deeply. It is more than a domestic scene; it taps into the universal, a potent symbol that continues to evolve, mirroring our complex relationship with the natural world. The dog remains, across time and cultures, a bridge between our civilized selves and our deepest, most instinctual drives.