Page Five ... OLD MASTIFF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS
This drawing was done of a mastiff (piedbald) by
Buffon in 1759.
This drawing is from Edward Jesse, Esq.'s 'Anecdotes
of Dogs'- 1858 - an Engraving on Steel, Painter, W R Smith, Engraver, W R Smith
This is Barry der Menschenretter. Barry is
"the holy dog of the Great Saint Bernard", credited with saving 40 lives
before dying in 1814. He was brought to Berne by a monk in 1812, a fact confirmed
by the old Prior to Heinrich Schumacher in 1866. Barry remained in Berne and died
at age 14. The taxidermist gave Barry a rather humble and meek attitude because
the Prior wanted Barry to serve as a reminder of constant servitude to future
generations. This picture is of the first version of the stuffed hero, done in
1814. The original Barry was much smaller than today's saints. He is estimated
to have weighed under 50 kg (probably between 40 and 45 kg).
This picture is the 4th version of Barry, remodeled in
1923. Note the rear dewclaws in this version.Although always called a saint bernard,
Barry lived before saints were a distinct breed. Until 1865 the Swiss dogs were called
Alpine Mastiffs. Barry was an Alpine Mastiff and not dissimilar to the old piedbald mastiffs
that stand well behind today's old english mastiff.
This postcard dates to 1903.
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