The Music-Loving Princess
A hand-painted oil portrait “The Music-Loving Princess” by the Fart studio. The Music-Loving Princess with a boombox, Austrian-princess style.
What the painting shows
The painting shows a dog dressed as an aristocrat from an old Habsburg court portrait. The dog, with short reddish-brown fur, a darker muzzle, a white blaze on its nose and floppy ears, looks like a dachshund or terrier mix and gazes at the viewer with a slightly melancholic expression.
It wears a dark navy gown with grey puffed sleeves and strings of pearls, and around its neck an enormous white ruff, typical of court fashion around 1600. Lace cuffs show at its paws. One paw rests on a red portable radio cassette player, a boombox with white speakers, which reveals that this princess loves music.
The background looks like a palace interior: on the left there is a golden-orange column, an arch and a gold statue against a yellow background, and in the centre and on the right a heavy blue curtain hangs in folds.
Technique and style
A vertical oil painting on canvas that parodies Baroque court portraits, such as Velázquez's portraits of the Spanish infantas or depictions of the Habsburg dynasty. The dog is painted realistically, with attention to the fur and the light in its eyes, while the costume and background are broader and sketchier. The boombox, an anachronistic prop, ties classical art to 1980s pop culture.
At a glance
- Medium: oil paint
- Surface: canvas
- Orientation: portrait (vertical)
- Dominant colours: navy, white, reddish brown, blue, golden yellow, red
- Subjects: dog, dog portrait in historical costume, ruff, Habsburgs, princess, boombox, music
Fun fact
In early 17th-century England, ruffs were sometimes starched yellow with saffron-tinted starch. The fashion collapsed in 1615, when Anne Turner, who had popularised yellow ruffs, was executed for her part in poisoning Sir Thomas Overbury. According to accounts, she went to the gallows in a yellow ruff, and the hangman wore one too, to mock the fashion.
Want a similar painting?
The Fart studio paints commissioned artwork: portraits of people and pets, landscapes and absurd scenes like this one. You can order a similar piece featuring dog, dog portrait in historical costume, ruff, starring your own pet, a loved one or your favourite place. Just describe your idea in the contact form and attach a photo.