Tuscanian Animals & Dogs
Dogue de Bordeaux
by Elena Vittori
A heavy, wrinkled head and a look of grave dignity: the Dogue de Bordeaux carries centuries of French history in its powerful presence. Behind the imposing build hides a surprisingly gentle and devoted heart.
- TechniqueHahnemühle · Dibond
- Size75 × 100 cm
- EditionEdition of 24
- Price€995
The gentle giant of Bordeaux
The Dogue de Bordeaux is one of the oldest French dog breeds, named after the region around Bordeaux in the south-west of France. This mastiff has a long history as a working dog: through the centuries it was used as a guardian of home and property, as a driver of cattle and as a protector. Its imposing build and courage made it a formidable guard, while its ancestry traces back to ancient molosser types.
Despite the powerful, at times forbidding appearance, the temperament of the Dogue de Bordeaux is surprisingly gentle. Within the family it is calm, affectionate and deeply devoted; it attaches itself strongly to its people and shows a quiet, dignified nature. Its watchfulness springs from a drive to protect, not from aggression.
In appearance it is unmistakable: a massive, muscular body, one of the broadest heads in the canine world, with characteristic wrinkles and a short coat in shades of red to fawn. Elena Vittori captures the gravity and the gentleness at once — the heavy head against the mild, dark eyes. The fresco treatment lets the wrinkled skin merge with weathered stone, as though this guardian had stood at a French gate for centuries.
