The Knight

The Knight portrait takes everything the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood ever loved about chivalric romance and puts your dog in the center of it. Polished silver plate armor with gold inlay catches the light of a misty dawn. A red cape moves behind the figure with the gravity of something important about to happen. The heraldic shield with a lion crest rests against the hip, the sword held with practiced ease rather than theatrical flourish. Behind the subject: a castle drawbridge, and beyond that, mountains wrapped in early morning mist.

Dogs occupy this setting so naturally that you stop noticing the absurdity within about two seconds of looking at the finished portrait. The reason is posture. Dogs in particular carry themselves with a combination of readiness and loyalty that looks, in the right context, exactly like the classic image of a medieval knight. A dog at the drawbridge, armor on, is protecting something. That is simply true.

Larger breeds with athletic builds make spectacular Knights: Huskies, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers all carry the plate armor with physical conviction. But the Knight has also produced some of our most beloved smaller-dog portraits: a Corgi in full medieval plate looks both absurd and absolutely sincere, which is the combination that makes people frame things and put them on the wall.

This is a popular gift for people who play fantasy games, read epic fiction, or describe their dog as their protector. It also works for the medieval history enthusiast, the person who would describe their relationship with their dog as a knightly bond.