Otto Eerelman

Otto Eerelman painted dogs and horses with close knowledge of breeds and a warm, lively touch. He was court painter to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and his work was hugely popular as prints and book illustrations.

He was born in Groningen in 1839, studied at the Academie Minerva there and at the Royal Academy in Antwerp, and had lessons from Lawrence Alma-Tadema. His large painting of the annual horse fair on the Grote Markt in Groningen is one of his best known works, and his albums of racehorses and dogs sold widely. He died in Groningen in 1926. Het Loo Palace holds his work.

A Saint Bernard Dog and A King Charles Spaniel with a Blue Ribbon show his affectionate, detailed dog portraits.