Renaissance Dogs A Litter of Hilarious Pups, Mutts, and Hounds

By: Taylor Wagmore

Published by Random House, 2026-06-16

Delight in over 100 hilarious depictions of man’s best friend—from sweetly puppish to downright demonic—produced between 1400–1700 by the Renaissance’s greatest painters.

Our four-legged friends have witnessed the creation of some of history’s greatest works: Shakespeare’s plays, da Vinci’s masterpieces, the Sistine Chapel, the first printed book, and even the flushable toilet. Behind the achievements of every great innovator is their dog: sometimes enthusiastically looking on, at other times asleep. Or chewing a bone. Or sniffing another dog’s bum...

Renaissance Dogs celebrates not just the delightfully odd-looking doggy depictions of the era but also our insistence on ensuring our furry friends’ place in history alongside our own. This carefully curated, full-color compendium of over 100 canine portraits immortalizes a wide array of pups, from the creepily humanoid dogs of the early Renaissance period (painted by artists who, clearly, had never seen a dog in their life) to the beautifully rendered canines of the Enlightenment.

Enjoy a humorous peek into Renaissance art and literature with witty captions, interesting dog facts, and excerpts from famous literary works accompanying astoundingly funny portrayals of our favorite canine companions.