Conradijn Cunaeus (1828–1895): The Painter of Dogs Conradijn Cunaeus (1828–1895) stands as a singular figure in Dutch animalier painting, celebrated primarily for his exquisitely rendered portraits of dogs—a genre that captivated audiences and cemented his reputation as one of the era’s foremost canine artists. Born in Dendermonde, Belgium, on November 1, 1828, Cunaeus embarked upon an artistic journey marked by meticulous training at the Amsterdam Academy (1844–49) under the tutelage of Nicolas Pieneman, a prominent landscape painter and portraitist whose influence would permeate Cunaeus’s…