Sudbury's first son was no stranger to canines. His first signed and dated picture, executed when still in his teens, was of Bumper, whom he described as A Most Remarkable Sagacious Cur (1745). Bumper's success led to the painting of many more dogs, both as individual animals and as significant elements in more complex compositions.

Sitters like Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, needed the world to see that their dogs were well at heel. Gainsborough encircles him with three spaniels regarding him admiringly as he nonchalantly reloads a sporting gun, ignoring the dead woodcock at his feet. The grand portrait of George Venables Vernon, (1767), shows the occupant of Sudbury Hall having his waistcoat pawed by a strikingly coloured spaniel as he contemplates the natural world around him. Jane, Lady Whichcote (1775) holds her Pomeranian in both hands, showing real affection for the dog in her life. The delicate flow of light and dark patterns between the folds of her dress and the dog's coat are finely brushed.

Not all are what one might expect. A sketch of a sleeping dog shows that the artist has erased one leg, and another suggests that a favourite is being stroked by a woman with three arms. The artist had some indecision about whether she was stroking the dog or playing the harp, so compromised.

Working dogs were not passed over as subjects for paintings. Landscapes populated with country folk have plenty of animal life to enliven the scene and give a sense of story. In Country Cart Crossing a Ford, the dog at a focal point of the picture is even barking loudly enough for a horse to turn and stare. Unlike the painter George Stubbs, who preferred muscular side-on views of animal anatomy, Gainsborough's dogs are very natural in their settings.

Only a fraction of his eight hundred works included dogs, but this selection gives a fascinating insight into Gainsborough's achievements. Diane Perkins' scholarly catalogue, and the welcoming atmosphere in the museum, offer an art experience not to be missed.

Mary Dunk