The Arnolfini Wedding and Las Meninas contain dogs. Scholars believe the Arnolfini Wedding is a marriage portrait while Las Meninas (Ladies in Waiting) is a portrait of the Spanish Princess Margarita.
Dogs have often been viewed as signs of FIDELITY. The dog in The Arnolfini Wedding could symbolize the couple adhering to their marriage vows while the dog in Las Meninas could symbolize the companionship of the ladies in waiting to the princess. The dog is a symbol of their loyalty to her.
Doves are viewed often in religious paintings as a symbol of the Holy Spirit or of peace. Jan van Eyck's closed Ghent Altarpiece displays the dove appearing to Mary and giving her the news that she will bear Jesus.
Cats have been given a mixed reputation in art. In the Egyptian culture cats were viewed as eternal companions of pharaoh's. Cats were embalmed with their masters and taklen with them to the afterlife. In more modern times, Manet's Olympia contains a black cat, a symbol of lewdness in Paris of the late 1800s. Warhol commercialized cats in the mid 1900's with his Pop Art rendition of the felines.
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