01/04/2026
What a wonderful surprise I had today!
In the pawesome chapel of The Charterhouse, I discovered lots of beautiful, carved wooden, greyhounds on the pew ends. Apparently, Thomas Sutton chose the Talbot hunting dog as the symbol of the Charterhouse in 1611.
He was a ‘commoner’ who became one of the richest men in England and he bequeathed a large part of his fortune to found a charity that built an almshouse for 80 ‘brothers’: ‘either decrepit or old captaynes either at sea or at land, maimed or disabled soldiers, merchants fallen on hard times, those ruined by shipwreck of other calamity’.
Greyhounds are thought to represent loyalty, fidelity, majesty, courage and vigilance. Due to their close relationship with their owners and their perceived elegance, they also represented faithfulness and a noble spirit. Britain’s King Henry VIII adopted the breed for his personal standard in 1513 and the Greyhound often appears in medieval heraldry as a sign of noble devotion. They even appear on each side of the Royal Arms of England.
What a claim to fame!
I love painting these noble creatures and capturing the essence of their character in a fun and quirky style.
Let me know if you own one of these pawesome pups and would like me to immortalise them for you.
🐾
