Signed 'Arthur Boyd' lower right 

Born into a lineage of gifted painters, potters, musicians and architects, Arthur Boyd became the most celebrated member in Australia’s cultural history, of that revered artistic family. Arthur Boyd is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, all state galleries, many regional galleries and many other important public collections both in Australia and overseas.

The Shoalhaven River is one of the most important subjects in Arthur Boyd’s remarkable body of work. The Boyds purchased the first of two properties, Riversdale in 1973 and the second, Bundanon in 1979. Pulpit Rock, Bathers and Muzzled Dog c.1987 assaults the viewer with a vivid depiction of nature versus man-made hedonism. A dramatic painting with much wall power, it is concerned with the destruction of beauty, peace and tranquility in the natural environment through ignorant and pleasure-seeking pastimes such as water skiing. This is clearly evident in the violent juxtaposition of a muzzled dog chasing a helmet-wearing human figure (which appears to morph into an animalistic symbol of speed and greed) against a serene, seemingly untouched escarpment of natural landscape. (Janet McKenzie, Arthur Boyd: Art and Life, pp.186-189)