Dog (Fidelity)
A small dog at the feet of a sitter — especially in marriage and portrait paintings — traditionally signals fidelity and loyalty.
The convention is old enough that it has a Latin root: "fido," to trust. A dog placed at the foot of a marriage portrait, or curled on a bed in a domestic scene, is rarely there as decoration alone — it is a small, legible promise of faithfulness between the painting's subjects.
Dog (Fidelity) in the collection
Paintings in the catalog documented as featuring this symbol.
