Great Dane dog oil painting

A rare and interesting oil on canvas of a Great Dane dog. The work shows the dog standing in full side profile within a courtyard setting. The piece is very much in the manner of the journeyman paintings of horses but as it features a dog is very unusual. The quality of the work is very good, particularly the dog which has great detail and expression. The painting is signed and dated to the lower right ‘J.A.Ashton.1900’ the artist will not have exhibited but would have been a travelling commercial artist specialising in the prized animals of the wealthy. The work is in good untouched condition with some craquelure in places and darkening to the varnish. The gilt frame is not the original but dates exactly to the period of the painting, it is in good condition with some old repairs. The canvas reverse is inscribed in marker pen and much later than when the painting was finished. The inscription is bizarre and reads: ‘Who it may concern I had to have this in my home because it was of some value “Money” I don’t like it for that reason’. Quite why the owner felt they had to add this to the reverse of the painting is a mystery. The whole is a great piece of English school provincial animal painting of a very unusual and rare subject, it is packed with charm and decorative appeal and is ready to hang. C.1900.
Overall sizes in inches including frame: 21 ¼ by 17 ¼