A Sleeping Spaniel called 'Belle'

Phillips's painting of a sleeping spaniel named Belle from 1803 is an unusual departure from his primary portrait practice, demonstrating his ability to apply portrait-quality observation and psychological empathy to an animal subject. Spaniel portraits—specifically named dogs belonging to specific owners—were a minor but persistent category in British art, serving the same commemorative function as human portraits for owners who valued their animals as important members of the household. The specific name—Belle—gives the work the character of a genuine portrait of an individual rather than a generic animal study, and Phillips's rendering of the sleeping dog's specific physiognomy and the quality of light on its coat demonstrates the same observational precision he brought to his human subjects.

The sleeping dog is rendered with careful observation of the spaniel's distinctive coat, floppy ears, and relaxed posture. Phillips transfers his portrait painter's attention to detail from human features to canine ones, capturing the specific character of the individual animal. The composition focuses on the sleeping form with the same concentration he brings to a human sitter.