Dog (Mantel Ornament) c. 1938

Curator: Okay, so before us we have “Dog (Mantel Ornament)” a watercolor created around 1938 by Z.S. Lupus. Editor: Well, hello there, posh pooch! He’s perched so primly. Immediately, I see kitsch—almost a proto-Jeff Koons vibe, though much more demure. It has the quality of mid-century commercial art… that period where we start blurring lines between craft and fine art in a big way, a blurring I appreciate. Curator: I agree. There's a subtle irony in elevating such an everyday object—a mantel ornament—to art through careful rendering. The Dalmatian spots are playfully imprecise, giving him real character. I imagine Lupus had one sitting right there in his studio... Or, who knows, maybe it’s a stand in? What stories does it tell about display, pride and domestic space? Editor: Or consider Lupus himself! What materials were available to him, the social climate influencing his aesthetic choices? Was he making a living solely off his art? Did commissions like these pay the bills? The little gold collar detail contrasts perfectly with the purple and gold base. Curator: Indeed! The ornament becomes less about the breed, the individual animal, and more a comment on artifice. That regal stance... yet slightly cross-eyed. It gives it an appealing, very human, vulnerability. It’s self-aware. I suspect this artist had a quiet, almost wicked sense of humor. Editor: Exactly! Lupus cleverly uses a popular breed that signifies affluence—Dalmatians always had this certain ‘Hollywood’ glamour—placing him not directly *in* a domestic space, but *on* it, and *as* commodity. The subtle imperfections hint at hand-production; a gentle nod away from mass manufacturing and disposability. Curator: That brings such a bittersweet element to what seems like a charming painting! I’ll never look at mantel ornaments the same way again. Editor: Me neither. This piece encourages you to appreciate the ordinary anew. It quietly interrogates how society chooses to value both labor and material.