Engraving, circa 1730

From Les Monuments De La Monarchie Françoise Qui Comprennent L'histoire De France (Volume 4), by Bernard de Montfaucon, 1732

23.5 x 18.5 cm

£195

This elegant image, a plate from Montfaucon’s seminal royal study, depicts a greyhound at the centre of the 16th century French royal court.  The beautiful hound’s noble pose and prominent position seemingly reflects a level of importance second only to the King himself.  Contemporary sources indicate that this might not have been too far from the truth, revealing that hounds of the aristocracy (kept for both hunting and as pets) were astonishingly well cared for and greatly revered, with their effigies often being placed on the tombstones of their masters.  The Duc of Orleans had masses said for his dogs, and King Charles VI of France is even recorded to have sent sick dogs on pilgrimage in the hope of their recovery.