Liegende Dogge, den Kopf erhoben 

Curator: This artwork, housed here at the Städel Museum, depicts a reclining mastiff with its head raised. Its title translates to “Lying Mastiff, Head Raised.” The work is credited to Conrad Gesner. We can consider this to be a classicist portrait, rendered in watercolor. Editor: Oh, that dog looks…serious! Like it's guarding something precious, or maybe judging my outfit. The watercolor gives it a gentle, almost dreamy quality, but those eyes are intense. I wonder what it's thinking. Curator: Consider the social status imbued in owning such a dog during the era this portrait evokes. The breed itself was associated with wealth and power. Moreover, its upright posture could symbolize vigilance, reflecting a cultural emphasis on loyalty and protection, especially within the domestic sphere. How might those readings interact with today's audience, I wonder. Editor: I love how you always bring it back to power dynamics! Seriously though, it's interesting to think about the dog as a status symbol. Still, I just see a noble beast, painted with a sort of love. I imagine the artist really admiring the animal, its strength, its quiet presence. Curator: Absolutely. Analyzing its aesthetic impact within its probable historical context reveals that artists were often commissioned to produce such portraits to reinforce societal structures by underscoring hierarchical status—it serves as an ideological artefact of that culture, with real impact in reinforcing racial divides. I’m looking into colonial impact on this dog breeding, specifically its appropriation and mutation from native breeds. Editor: See, my head just doesn't jump to that stuff at first. The dog’s just chillin’. You bring up such important points, though. That balance, thinking about beauty and history all at once is exactly what makes visiting a museum worth it! Curator: Indeed. To recognize that we both have the potential to inform these histories from the diverse spaces in which we live, allows us to be free. Editor: I like that sentiment as a perfect way to go see something else.