Chinese zodiac: the Year of the Dog

Carved ivory netsuke in the shape of a dog, Japan, about 18th century. Museum no. A.44-1930

The Chinese use the lunar calendar for festive occasions including the New Year which falls somewhere between late January and early February. The cycle of twelve animal signs derives from Chinese folklore as a method for naming the years. The animals follow one another in an established order and are repeated every twelve years - rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Each animal has particular characteristics and people born in a certain year are believed to take on these characteristics.

Dog characteristics

People born in the Year of the Dog are highly responsible and compassionate. Dog people are reliable, loyal, faithful and honest with a keen sense of right and wrong and a desire to support the underdog. They can be very pessimistic, looking for all the bad things that might happen. This makes them anxious people who can also harbour irrational fears. They may be very stubborn and unyielding. They enjoy being physically active. They can make good leaders but they can sometimes be rather overwhelming. Dog people can also be very nosy.

Dog Years: 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030

The following objects show examples of dogs from different parts of the V&A's collections. The dog has different meanings to different cultures and religions throughout the world.

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  'Lion: A Newfoundland Dog', oil painting

  'Lion: A Newfoundland Dog'
  Oil painting
  Sir Edwin Henry Landseer
  England
  1824
  Museum no. 852-1894

  The Newfoundland is a large Canadian working dog, capable of drawing a sledge, and celebrated for its intelligence, docility and lifesaving abilities. The dog's owner, W. H. de Merle, commissioned this painting in 1824. The painter, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, specialised at an early age in Scottish domestic subjects and animals, especially dogs. This example is one of Landseer's earliest paintings of the Newfoundland breed, a variety of the breed was later named after the painter. Paintings of Newfoundland dogs greatly appealed to nineteenth century taste, with its combination of animal magnificence and canine heroism.

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  Lady Clementina Hawarden, 'Dog balancing on two chairs'

  Lady Clementina Hawarden
  Dog balancing on two chairs
  About 1861
  Museum no. PH. 457:330-1968

  This photograph shows a poodle balanced between two chairs. The photographer was Lady Clementina Hawarden. She took up photography in 1857 and became one of the most experimental and original photographers of the nineteenth century. She often used her children, husband and servants as models. This composition with the poodle illustrates the theatrical nature of many of her photographs.

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  Peter Henry Emerson, 'The Poacher - A Hare in View'

  Peter Henry Emerson
  The Poacher - A Hare in View
  Plate II from the book 'Pictures of East Anglian Life'
  1888
  Museum no. PH.2114-1896

  The greyhound is the fastest dog in the world. It has long muscular legs, a long body with a thin waist and it has a long, fine head. It was once used to hunt deer and wild boar, but today it is mainly used in racing. Greyhounds retire after only a few years of racing, after this they often become domestic pets. They make good pets as they have a gentle nature and they are loyal and well behaved.

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  Embroidered panel, worked by Mary Queen of Scots

  Embroidered panel
  Worked by Mary Queen of Scots
  England
  About 1570
  Museum no. T.33P-1955

  Mary Queen of Scots embroidered this panel with a number of others during her time of imprisonment in England. Needlework provided her with a practical occupation and it was also an outlet for her to express the frustation of her situation, her choice of subject matter including many mottoes and emblems representing courage in adversity. She also depicted various subjects from natural history and sometimes copied illustrations from the 1560 edition of Conrad Gesner's Icones Animalium.

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  Figure of a hunting dog, earthenware sculpture

  Figure of a hunting dog
  Earthenware sculpture
  China (Han Dynasty)
  About 1st century
  Museum no. C.167-1914

  This earthenware tomb figure depicts a dog with an upturned tail. It was made during the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220) and buried in a grave along with other models of animals, farm buildings and daily vessels according to Han funerary customs. The dog had the task of guarding the tomb and driving away evil influences. The figure has a green lead glaze which has become partly iridescent due to burying.

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  Netsuke, Japan

  Netsuke
  Japan
  About 18th century
  Museum no. A.44-1930

  The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching the cord. Although netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving). This is a three-dimensional carving, such as this one. Katabori netsuke made in the early 1700s were less concerned with realistic portrayal of their subject. Here, for example, the carver has caught the spirit and character of a dog. However, he has not tried to show surface detail, such as the fur. Another typical feature found on early examples of this type of netsuke is the distinctive himotoshi (cord holes). One hole was considerably larger than the other to accommodate the cord knot, although you cannot see them on this example.

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  Lion Dog, papercut

  Lion Dog
  Papercut
  China
  1985-1988
  Museum no. FE.57-1992

  This Chinese papercut shows a Lion Dog. The papercut is an example of Chinese folk art. They are traditionally placed in the windows of homes during festivals and the subject matter is chosen to celebrate the festival or to protect the home such as warding off evil spirits. The designs are often intricate and the forms are rarely realistic, but instead an artist's interpretation of a particular folk tale or religious story. The Chinese New Year is one of the festivals for which papercuts are created and the animal representing the new year is often included in the designs.

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  Sir Edwin Landseer, 'The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner'

  Sir Edwin Landseer
  The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner
  England
  19th century
  Museum no. FA 93

  Dogs have been used to herd sheep in Britain and other countries for centuries. Many breeds of working dog were originally used but many of these have now become extinct. The Border Collie breed has descended from these working dogs and is renowned for its obedience and hard-working nature. This painting illustrates the Victorian love of dogs for their faithfulness and devotion to their owners and their status as 'man's best friend', as emphasised in the title of the work - the dog is the shepherd's most devoted companion.

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  Brooch, with image of a Yorkshire Terrier

  Brooch with image of a Yorkshire Terrier
  England
  About 1875-1890
  Museum no. M.65-1951

  The Yorkshire Terrier breed of dog is affectionately known as the 'Yorkie'. This tiny dog originates from Britain and is believed to have derived from breeding the Scotch Terrier with small local terriers in Yorkshire in the 1850's. The Yorkshire Terrier was recongised by the Kennel Club in 1886 and became known for its ability to hunt down rats.

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  Bashaw, The Faithful Friend of Man Trampling under Foot his most Insidious Enemy

  Bashaw, The Faithful Friend of Man Trampling under Foot his most Insidious Enemy
  Matthew Cotes Wyatt
  England
  1831-1834
  Museum no. A.4:1 to 6-1960

  This life-size sculpture of a Newfoundland dog was commissioned by John William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley, to commemorate his favourite dog. It was to be placed in Lord Dudley's house in Park Lane, London. The dog was sent from Lord Dudley's country seat, Himley Hall, Staffordshire, to London to sit to Wyatt 50 times. Lord Dudley died in 1833, before the sculpture was finished, and a dispute about the price (£5,000) between Wyatt and Lord Dudley's executors was never resolved, the sculpture remaining in Wyatt's possession until his death in 1862.