Golden retriever medieval knight portrait: the real history

Part 1

Why a golden retriever never met a medieval knight

In 1868, Lord Tweedmouth crossed a yellow Wavy-Coated Retriever named Nous with a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle at his Guisachan estate in the Scottish Highlands. That first litter of yellow puppies became the foundation of the breed you know today. The breed was not even officially recognized until 1911 in Britain and 1925 in the United States.

Part 2

What dogs actually stood beside medieval knights

Records describe many working roles, including turning the kitchen spit, guarding the home, sniffing out game as a lymer, running down the quarry, and carrying messages tucked into their collars. Greyhounds were especially prized for hunting, and medieval law restricted their ownership to nobility.

• King Hywel Dda of Wales made killing a greyhound a capital crime.
• King Canute later made it illegal for anyone but nobility to own a greyhound.

Dogs appear in surviving medieval art, such as tapestries recording hunts. The Bayeux Tapestry, which records the Battle of Hastings in 1066, shows dogs running alongside King Harold Godwinson on what appears to be a hunt. The Unicorn Tapestries, made around 1495 to 1505, show dogs, mostly greyhounds, wearing broad collars inscribed with letters and floral designs. Comparing these works to a golden retriever in knight's dress shows just how differently real medieval dogs were shown.

Part 3

The tradition of anachronistic animal portraits

Placing a modern dog in historical dress is a playful choice, not a historical claim about your dog. Medieval sources describe dogs wearing broad leather collars, such as those seen in the Unicorn Tapestries.

Part 4

How illustrators research armor and knight dress for pet portraits

The Bayeux Tapestry and the Unicorn Tapestries are among the medieval artworks that show dogs on the hunt. What separates a playful portrait from a historical claim is simple.

Part 5

What medieval armor and heraldry symbols mean

Medieval dog collars were sometimes decorated, from plain leather bands to elaborate metalwork. Collars shown in the Unicorn Tapestries were inscribed with letters and floral patterns, and these designs have been read as representing a dog's owner or family. A collar found in Waterford, Ireland, and dated to the twelfth century, was made from an intricate bronze web pattern attached to a leather backing.