About the painting - by Daniela Ria:

Springer spaniel in 19th Century attire. This spaniel is an older breed, appearing in paintings as early as the 1600s. It is possibly the ancestor of most modern spaniels; Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels were not recognized as separate breeds until the 1800s. There are two distinct breed of English Springer: the show line and the working line, although for registration purposes they are mixed together.