On the chest, a golden retriever with crown and ermine sits enthroned before golden rays; on the back, he sleeps curled up beside the crown he has set down. Both scenes in copperplate engraving style.
Product description
A golden retriever shirt for anyone whose dog has two talents: holding court with dignity and then sleeping it off at length. On the front he is every inch a monarch, in profile, with a heavy gold crown and an ermine cape before a halo of rays. On the back he is off duty. He lies curled up, head on a cushion, while the crown stands ignored beside him. Both scenes are drawn like an old copperplate engraving, in honey, gold and brown. If you already suspect your golden retriever of noble blood, here is the proof to wear. It needs no slogan. Anyone who has watched a retriever collapse onto the sofa after a long afternoon of visitors will get the picture right away.
The portrait lives on three surfaces. First the fur: honey-colored and wavy, finely feathered on the long drop ear, fluffed into a thick ruff at the neck. The muzzle is long, the nose black, the eye dark and alertly fixed ahead. Then the metal. Pearl-studded arches meet beneath an orb topped with a cross, fleurs-de-lis stand on the rim, and diamond-shaped stones sit in the band. Because the crown perches a little crooked, the serious gaze beneath it looks almost mischievous. Finally the ermine, a cream-white cape with black spots, held together by a round, richly ornamented brooch. Braided cords with two tassels hang below it. Behind head and crown, fine golden rays rise like a morning sun that shines for this one dog alone.
The back is a still life with dog. The retriever has curled up tight, eyelids closed, his head resting heavily on a dark, plump cushion. One front paw lies between muzzle and crown, as if he were keeping watch over his treasure even in his sleep. The bushy tail sweeps in a wide arc around his body. His coat still keeps its shine, with light strokes running across back and flank like patches of sunlight. A twisted gold cord runs around the cushion, and where it turns the corners, tassels dangle. The crown stands upright next to his head, set aside but within easy reach. A few horizontal strokes on the ground anchor the scene. Cape and rays are left out this time; what remains is fur, cushion and a dog entirely at peace with himself. If you like, the sleeves carry a motif too: a golden crown on each, topped by a fleur-de-lis instead of a cross, with pearl arches and diamond-shaped stones in the band.
Technically, the drawing follows the model of old copperplate engravings, and every surface gets its own kind of stroke. Short, curved strokes shape the fur, inside the crown the strokes thicken almost into black, and long, sweeping lines round out the cushion. Every pearl carries a tiny highlight, every stone in the band shows its cut edges. Seen from afar, outline and gold do the talking; only as you come closer do the individual strokes emerge. The palette stays warm: honey gold and amber for the fur, rich crown gold, cream for the ermine and a deep brownish black for outlines and shadows. The design has no background of its own, so the shirt color joins in: on light fabric it looks like a page from a yellowed book, and the gold glows all the more clearly.
This golden retriever shirt is made for men who love their retriever but would rather not wear a cartoon on their chest: for golden retriever dads who know who really rules the house, and for anyone with a soft spot for old prints, coats of arms and museums. If you give it as a gift, watch the unwrapping, because the sleeper on the back only appears when the shirt is turned over. Whether for a birthday, as a thank-you to the dog sitter or as a reward for your own patience in recall training, the shirt finds its moment. Pair it with sand-colored chinos, faded jeans or an olive overshirt. That is how the shirt tells, without a single word, what retriever people have long known: dignity is nice, but a soft cushion is nicer.
