Fri, 01/27/2023 - 12:40am

The Architectural Dog

From gargoyles to carvings, dogs adorn buildings both huge and humble

Images of the dog have been part of the fabric of buildings almost since buildings began. From palaces to rural dwellings, from commercial buildings to places of worship, the dog can be found.

The Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France, is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. It was once a fortress and palace, the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th Century and residence of the pope. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding architecture and historical importance for the papacy.

 

 

As with so many grand medieval buildings, it is adorned with statues, and on its interior walls hang many important tapestries. The carving of a dog and a mythical creature, showing affection for each other, support one of the bases to a column in the palace.

The Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title that dates from the 11th Century; the current earl, the premier Earl of England, is the 22nd holder of the title. The family name is Talbot, and the family arrived in England with the Normans in the 11th Century, bringing with them large white hounds descended from the St. Hubert Hound. These hounds became known as the Talbot Hound. With the arrival of fox hunting, the large white hounds disappeared, but darker ones survived, and today are what we call Bloodhounds.

The Talbot Hound continues to be associated with the Talbot family, appearing on the family’s coat of arms. The carved head of a Talbot beneath carved bunches of grapes is one of two on either side of the entrance to a modern building known as Talbot House, and proof that there are still craftspeople capable of working in the ancient tradition.

 

 

There must be countless historical items hidden away in private buildings. One such is a large carved mantelpiece above an inglenook fireplace in a farmhouse outside Newcastle-on-Clun in the border country between Mid Wales and England. The oldest part of the house dates from before 1302, with additions in the 16th and 17th centuries. The wood used to carve the mantelpiece has been carbon-dated to 1546, the year in which the oak tree was cut down.

 

 

Carved in relief, one side depicts a stag being hunted by a pack of hounds, the other side a hind being hunted by hounds. The hind has been struck from underneath by an arrow, a sign of an early form of hunting that has its roots in Norman times. Images of the chase at this time often show larger hounds leading the pack followed by smaller ones.

One of the most famous Irish Setters of all times was Garryowen. He was born in 1876 and became a very successful show dog, winning all over Europe. At the Belgium Kennel Club Show in 1884, he beat 978 sporting dogs of all breeds. As a stock-getter he appears in the extended pedigree of nearly every Irish Setter anywhere in the world.

 

 

He was owned by James Giltrap, great-uncle of writer James Joyce, who mentions the dog in his famous and controversial Ulysses. Garryowen’s portrait was painted by the celebrated Irish artist William Osborne RHA and now hangs in the National Gallery in Dublin. There was even a brand of tobacco named after Garryowen. At the time of his death he was so well known that his obituary even appeared in the Chicago Tribune.

Garryowen tobacco was manufactured by Spillane’s at their factory in Limerick, which they named the House of Garryowen. The logo for the brand was from a photograph of Garryowen taken in the early 1880s showing him resplendent in his collar decorated with some of his prize medals.

A large tile mosaic reproducing the logo in mirror image on either side of the name of the factory stood above the first floor. By the 1960s the building was empty, and in the 1970s, when the area was being redeveloped, Irish Setter enthusiast Turlough Coffey organized a petition to save the familiar landmark. The pleadings fell on deaf ears, and it was taken down and destroyed.

The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Etruscans all used animal-shaped waterspouts. Gargoyles (from the French word for “throat” or “gullet”), as they are known, have a trough cut through them so that rainwater can flow to the outermost part of the building. This was important because keeping rainwater from running down masonry walls saved the mortar between stone blocks. The length of the gargoyle determined how far water was thrown from the walls. For this reason, they were often carved elongated or fantastical.

Dogs were the most common animals carved as gargoyles. They symbolized guardianship, intelligence, faithfulness and loyalty.

 

 

The Dachshund gargoyle is on the Catholic cathedral in the German city of Worms. According to legend, a Dachshund saved the life of her owner-architect, and in gratitude he put the dog’s image on the façade.

 

 

The Sighthound gargoyle is on Lednice Castle in South Moravia, the Czech Republic. Described as “one of the more fairy-like castles in Europe,” it featured in the 2006 remake of the film “The Omen.” There has been a castle on the site since the 13th Century; the present one dates from the 19th Century. Comparing the weather damage on the castle wall alongside that on the gargoyle, the indications are that the gargoyle is a later addition.

My last item does not have a dog on it, neither is it architectural, but is situated in one of the most ancient churches on the Isle of Anglesey off the North Wales coast. Standing as it has for centuries below the Parys Mountain, looking out across the sea in the village of Llaneilian, St Eilian’s has a simple ancient beauty.

 

 

The tower dates from the 12th Century, there is a richly carved oak-root screen that separates the nave from the chancel, and at the side is an unassumingly beautiful medieval chapel.

 

 

Made of wood, dated 1743 and bearing the initials R.W. and W.G., no doubt those of the churchwardens, the item is a rare survivor of what were once common in medieval churches – dog tongs. It was quite usual for dogs to stray into churches or accompany their owners. It sometimes happened that a dog would become aggressive or out of control and disturb the congregation. When this happened, dog tongs were very effective in getting hold of the offender and evicting it from the building.

 

 

 

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