a greyhound by durer

public domain, via wikipaintings.org

You know, I think Albrecht Durer (German: 1471-1528) shows in his animal portrayals the very earliest whisper of Romantic sensibility.  He's one of the names of the Northern Renaissance, so you expect cool observation and you get it.  He's picked out every joint, every nail, every furry bit.  But the look of yearning in this dog's eyes, as he looks up toward the unknown hand - it gets me every time, like the wary glistening in the eyes of his well-known hare.

While we're at it, here's another take on the traditional doggerel about the perfect greyhound:

The head like a snake;

The neck like a drake;

The back like a beam;

The side like a bream;

The tail like a rat;

The foot like a cat.