King’s best friend immortalised in oil

A picture that commemorates a very special royal bond between a King and his beloved pet dog is coming up for sale in Cambridgeshire auction house Cheffins‘ Fine Art Sale in mid-June. The study was painted by George Earl (1824-1908) and entitled Caesar,  The King’s Dog.

‘Caesar, The King’s Dog’ by George Earl ( 1824-1908) Caesar, the wire fox terrier, was bred for the Duchess of Newcastle in 1898 and presented to King Edward VII in 1903.

Known as “Caesar of Notts”, the terrier and his royal owner became inseparable, right up until the King’s death when the dog was said to be inconsolable. Caesar won the heart of the nation when he attended the King’s funeral and led the procession.

It was about this time that the German firm Steiff started producing their stuffed toy models of the dog. Caesar lived on in the Royal Household, cared for by the Dowager Queen, until his death in 1914 and was immortalised in stone at the feet of the King on the tomb of Edward VII in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Following on from the successful sale in 2016 of Caesar’s  dog tag at Cheffins, the oil study will have an estimate of £2,000-3,000.

The Howard chairElsewhere in the sale are two Howard chairs for restoration, always extremely sought-after, the first is from the late 19th Century, upholstered in original printed fabric on turned legs, stamped 266.(0860). The second chair is early 20th Century, upholstered in original printed fabric, stamped Howard & Son, Berners St, 1938. Both chairs have an estimate of £600-£1000.

The furniture maker’s creations won medals at international Exhibitions throughout Europe, with notable commissions including Elton Hall, Stokesay Court and Mr Vanderbilt’s yacht.

The sale takes place on June 14th to 15th.

 

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