The Twa Dogs

Landseer's The Twa Dogs depicts the two dogs from Robert Burns's poem of 1786 — the aristocratic Caesar and the plebeian Luath — whose conversation provides a satirical commentary on human social inequality. Burns's Twa Dogs allowed their conversation to observe, with more or less disguised irony, the different worlds of rich and poor as seen by innocent animal observers. Landseer's affection for Burns's poetry was deep — he painted numerous Burns subjects throughout his career — and his ability to render the specific breeds and characters of the two dogs with his characteristic psychological insight gave the literary subject genuine pictorial force. The painting exemplified his synthesis of literary illustration and animal painting.

The two dogs are differentiated through breed, grooming, and bearing to reflect their owners' social positions. Landseer's early technique already shows remarkable facility with animal texture and expression.