Dogs, Cats and What Is That? Trivia Quiz

Answer: He is on the ground, standing in between them

The dog stands somewhat in front of and between the the husband and wife (Giovanni and Giovanna Arnolfini) in the picture. Some scholars suggest that the dog is meant to represent the faithfulness of the two towards each other. Other scholars suggest that the dog represents the lust of the couple who hope to have children. It is not clear if the couple actually had a dog like this or if it just symbolic.


I hoped that seeing the brown line and the green line might suggest the ground.

Answer: On Dora's shoulders

The painting was completed by Pablo Picasso and has fetched one of the highest auction prices of any of his paintings. Dora Maar was Picasso's mistress for several years. In the painting, she is sitting in a chair and the cat is peeking out over her right shoulder. The painting is meant to portray elements of Dora's physical appearance but also elements of her personality (Picasso once described her as an Afghan cat).

In the picture I have placed a woman's head and a cat's head at roughly the same level. I thought you might think this was the case if the cat sat on the woman's shoulders.

Answer: Cups and Balls trick

The painting was made by Hieronymus Bosch. The conjuror (magician) stands behind a table with his cups laid out before him. The dog stands at his feet and is wearing a jester's cap. There are still more animals. A small owl in a basket attached to the magician's belt symbolizes his intelligence. A member of the audience, leaning forward to observe the trick, has frogs exiting his mouth, suggesting a lack of reason.

The picture shows direction arrows moving to the left or right, suggesting how the magician might move the cups back and forth across the table.

Answer: Four

William Hogart painted this picture of the four Graham children, the children of the Royal Apothecary to King George II of Great Britain. Sadly, the youngest child, Thomas, died in the period between when the painting was begun and when it was finished. Some critics suggest the placement of Thomas in the lower left corner of the painting and the cat in the upper right corner might have potentially been offensive to his mother and father, since the cat seemed to be staring at Thomas.

The picture shows a golfer having just hit a ball and perhaps saying "Fore" (four).

Answer: Ace

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge created the painting, one of 16 commissioned by a cigar company to be used in advertisements. A group of seven dogs are sitting in chairs around a table playing poker. A dog with greyish fur appears to be passing an ace of clubs with a hind paw to a tan-coated dog. In poker, the ace would usually be the highest ranked card. The dog who is receiving the ace appears to already have the other three in his hand.

The picture shows a front view a biplane next to a Roman numeral 5 (V). A pilot who had shot down five planes was considered an "ace".

Answer: Right

The painting was created by Francisco Goya. In the picture, Manuel is wearing mostly red clothing and appears to be three or four years old. There are three cats sitting off to his right. To his left, is a cage with finches. Manuel is holding a leash attached to his pet magpie (who, at least to me, seems to have the full attention of the cats). Sadly, Manuel would die at the young age of eight.

The picture shows a quill pen using ink for writing (right).

Answer: Jack Russell terrier

Nipper, a Jack Russell terrier, lived his life (1884-1895) in Bristol, England. In the original 1898 picture, Nipper is listening to a talking machine playing a cylindrical record. His final owner was Francis Barraud, who painted "His Master's Voice". A later version of the painting showed Nipper listening to a disc-shaped record. The painting would later be used as the logo of the Victor Talking Machine Company.

The picture shows an automobile with its back end raised by a jack.

Answer: Monkey

The painting was made by Frida Kahlo and like many of her paintings is a self-portrait. The black cat sits behind left shoulder and the monkey is behind her right shoulder. Other animals can be seen in the picture, including a hummingbird near Frida Kahlo's throat. The original of the painting is currently housed at the University of Texas at Austin.

The picture has an image of a banana, which a monkey might eat.

Answer: Grace Coolidge

The collie Rob Roy (1922-1298) was acquired by the Coolidge family after Mrs. Coolidge had seen a collie performing with a circus. US artist Howard Chandler Christy created the 1928 painting of Mrs. Coolidge and her dog. President Coolidge was also said to have been fond of Rob Roy, once describing the dog accompanying him while fishing in a boat. The dog was named after the Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor.

The picture shows a thermometer recording a low temperature, recalling the 1924 Presidential campaign slogan "Keep Cool With Coolidge".

Answer: One dog, two cats

The painting was created by Albert Gleizes and is in the Cubist style. The woman in the painting is the wife of the sculptor Raymond Duchamp-Villon. The dog can be seen wagging its tail. I was not able to find information about whether the animals depicted in the picture were Madame Duchamp-Villon's actual pets or not. This is a relatively large painting, measuring 77.3 by 45.9 inches. I must also confess that I found it easier to identify the dog than the two cats.

The picture shows two fish (for two cats) and one bone (for one dog).