January
Our collection contains hundreds of medals from shows all over the world. They are made of a variety of materials including bronze, pewter, silver and even gold! Many of the medals we have date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were given at large shows like Crufts for various awards such as Best of Breed. Lots of them are engraved too, which means we can find out more about the dogs that won them.
If you could design a medal what would you include? What material would you choose and what would it be awarded for? Perhaps you could have a go at drawing your own design.
February
This month we’ll be thinking about portraits and head-studies. Did you know, for instance, that there is some debate as to whether one can call a head-study of an animal a portrait? This is because the word portrait is generally taken to apply to a portrait of a human, a person. The aim of a portrait is to capture not only the likeness, but something of the soul and character of the individual being portrayed.
If you could design a medal what would you include? What material would you choose and what would it be awarded for? Perhaps you could have a go at drawing your own design.
September
Top Dogs
Did you know that both the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever are listed in the top 10 breeds registered with the Kennel Club? In 2022 there were 44,311 Labradors and 11,075 Golden Retrievers registered. Both of these breeds have been popular for some time and have been included in the top 10 list for almost 50 years!
In our art collection we are lucky enough to have lots of artwork showing us what breeds looked like many years ago and here we have two paintings of these breeds that were painted by the same artist, Reuben Ward Binks (1880 – 1950). The painting of the Labradors is 100 years old and the Golden Retriever was painted in 1928 so it won’t be long before that will be 100 too!
Have a look at these paintings. Is there anything in them that you think helps you to recognise that they were painted by the same person? Reuben Ward Binks was a very famous dog artist and travelled the world painting dogs. He mostly worked in gouache (similar to watercolour). He even painted Royal dogs belonging to King George V.
Do you own a dog that is in the top 10? Or perhaps yours is a rare breed? Below is a list of the top 10 breeds for 2022. Have a look and see if your dog is listed.
Top 10 breeds registered with the Kennel Club in 2022
Labrador Retriever – 44,311
French Bulldog- 42,538
Cocker Spaniel – 29,491
Miniature Smooth Haired Dachshund – 15,308
Bulldog – 11,667
Golden Retriever – 11,075
English Springer Spaniel – 9,603
German Shepherd Dog – 7,211
Staffordshire Bull Terrier – 6,561
Miniature Schnauzer – 4,788
Your activity
Why not try and draw one of the breeds listed.