A rare and interesting oil on canvas of a Great Dane. The work shows the dog standing in full side profile within a courtyard setting. The piece is very much in the manner of the journeyman paintings of horses but as it features a dog is very unusual. The painting is of a high quality, particularly the dog which has great detail and expression. The piece is signed and dated to the lower right ‘J.A.Ashton.1900’ the artist will not have exhibited but would have been a travelling commercial artist specialising in the prized animals of the wealthy. The painting is in good untouched condition with some craquelure in places and darkening to the varnish. The gilt frame is not the original but dates exactly to the period of the painting, it is in good condition with some old repairs. The canvas reverse has been inscribed in marker pen at a much later date than when the painting was finished. The inscription is bizarre and reads: ‘Who it may concern I had to have this in my home because it was ...