Child Asleep in a Cradle Under the Care of a Brave Dog Who Just Killed Near Him a Huge Viper, oil on canvas painting by Jeanne Élisabeth Chaudet, c. 1801.
Inspired by a late 18th-century book of fables, the story depicted in the painting has medieval origins. Stephen of Bourbon (1180-1261) tells us that Guinefort, a greyhound belonging to a knight near Lyon, saves its master's baby from an enormous snake. The knight, having returned from a hunt, sees the chaos in his child's room and the greyhound covered in blood. Thinking that the dog had killed his child, he proceeds to kill Guinefort; however, the knight later discovers that the blood was from a venomous snake that lay dead in the corner of the room, his child safe and sound. Filled with regret, the knight placed the dog's body in a well, covered it in stone, and planted trees around it. The dog's martyrdom began the veneration of the slain greyhound as a local saint.
Louvre Museum, Paris.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Chaudet, J. É. (2025, September 25). The Dog, the Baby, and the Viper. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21042/the-dog-the-baby-and-the-viper/
Chicago Style
Chaudet, Jeanne Élisabeth. "The Dog, the Baby, and the Viper." World History Encyclopedia, September 25, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21042/the-dog-the-baby-and-the-viper/.
MLA Style
Chaudet, Jeanne Élisabeth. "The Dog, the Baby, and the Viper." World History Encyclopedia, 25 Sep 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21042/the-dog-the-baby-and-the-viper/.
