The Long Sleep by Briton Rivière: The Dogs Who Know

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An old man who will not wake

An old man sits slumped in his chair by the hearth, head bowed. His two dogs have come to him; one stands with its paws on his knee, looking up into his face. The title, The Long Sleep, tells us that he has died.

Briton Rivière painted it in 1868, early in his career.

Still in his chair

Old man slumped in his chair — Still in his chair.

The old man wears a dark coat, his white hair falling forward. Nothing in his pose is dramatic. Only the dogs’ behaviour reveals what has happened.

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Dogs who sense the truth

Two dogs reaching up to their master — Dogs who sense the truth.

One dog reaches up to his face; the other, a black collie, sits watching. Rivière returned again and again to the theme of dogs’ loyalty and grief, which made his reputation.

Questions about The Long Sleep

What does the title mean?

It is a gentle way of saying the old man has died.

Who painted it?

Briton Rivière, in 1868.

What are the dogs doing?

Trying to wake their master, sensing something is wrong.

Is it a typical Rivière?

Yes. Faithful, grieving dogs are among his favourite subjects.

Sources and image credit

Wikimedia Commons: The Long Sleep

Public-domain reproduction of The Long Sleep (1868). Detail images are crops of the same image; no reconstruction or upscaling.