The Jennings Dog

The dog is sculpted as if rising, with forelegs spread apart and body turning and is twice life-size. It was probably copied from a Greek bronze original of 2nd century BC that had found its way to Rome. The statue's 18th century owner, Henry Jennings, christened it The Dog of Aleibiades because part of its tail is missing: it reminded him of the story, recounted in Plutarch, of the Athenian statesman Alcibiades who cut off the tail of his dog to give the Athenians something to make fun of other than himself. The work was acquired after a successful public campaign launched by the museum.