Italian Greyhounds dressed as Degas-type ballerinas is the subject of two similar paintings. The first, “Cory’s Girls,” was commissioned as a birthday gift for a lovely daughter who is away from her favorite pets for awhile. That version has her favorite colors, rich pink and chartreause, and a full view of both dogs’ faces. The underlying subject is “man’s best friend”, and the quote on the back is taken from a jury summation during the 1860’s that is credited for coining that phrase:

“Man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees and do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our head. The only absolutely unselfish friend a man may have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. When riches take wings and reputations fall to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.”

The second painting of this subject is “Dogllerinas” and is the version that is depicted here. The painting is 12” x 18”, plus the frame.