
Wikimedia Commons • Public Domain
British artist Edwin Landseer painted this High Life in 1829 as one half of a deliberately contrasting pair. Its companion, Low Life, depicts a scrappy terrier on the doorstep of a butcher's shop. Here, a Scottish deerhound represents the aristocratic world of chivalry and refinement, sitting vigilantly beside his master's armchair.
The room furnishings tell the story of the absent owner: a large armchair, heavy curtains, a substantial table. Everything suggests wealth and status. The deerhound guards this property with quiet dignity, embodying the qualities Victorians associated with the noble classes and their faithful companions.
The pair was first exhibited in 1831 and acquired by Robert Vernon, who donated them to the nation in 1847. Both paintings now hang at Tate Britain in London. Landseer's ability to capture canine character while commenting on human society made him one of the most popular artists of the Victorian era.

George Frederick Watts
Tate Modern, London, London

Joseph Beuys, 1985
Tate Modern, London, London

Salvador Dalí, 1936
Tate Modern, London, London

William Blake
Tate Modern, London, London
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection