Pluto Aged Twelve

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Freud's second etching of his whippet Pluto, the first having been of the dog as a sleeping puppy in 1988, is an affectionate portrait as it comes to the end of its life. In fact Pluto would live for another three years, but Freud most probably had concerns about the dog's health, given the crossed fingers of David Dawson's hand, which is allowed to enter the top right of the picture plane. The hand is reported to have been included after its presence in the composition became part of the story, Dawson having to stroke the dog constantly to keep it still during the long hours Freud required to draw it. The hand provides symbolism however, especially if one notices the crossed fingers, and also balances the composition.

Pluto Aged Twelve is regarded as one of the finest animal portraits of the last century, and a masterpiece of modern printmaking.

Pluto Aged Twelve

Lucian Freud

Artist: Lucian Freud (1922-2011)
Title: Pluto Aged Twelve
Medium: Etching, on Somerset Textured White paper
Date: 2000
Sheet: 57.2 x 72.4 cm : 22 1/2 x 28 1/2 in.
Plate: 43.2 x 59.7 cm : 17 x 23 1/2 in.
Edition: From the edition of 46, signed and numbered by the artist
Printer: Marc Balakjian at Studio Prints, London
Publisher: Matthew Marks Gallery, New York
Exhibited: New York, Museum of Modern Art, Lucian Freud: The Painter's Etchings, 16 Dec 2007-10 Mar 2008 (another impression exhibited and illustrated p.121); London, National Portrait Gallery, Lucian Freud: Portraits, 9 Feb-27 May 2012 (another impression exhibited and illustrated p.198)
Literature: Figura 91; Howgate 126; Smee 45; Feaver 303
Reference: C15-50