What does the dog symbolize in this painting from 1434?

The dog symbolizes fidelity in this masterpiece called "The Arnolfini Wedding" by the Dutch Northern Renaissance painter Jan van Eyck, credited with having invented oil painting by combining natural ground pigments with linseed oil. Some art historians believe that the artist used a camera obscura to obtain a photographic quality. Check out the three-dimensional look of the chandelier and the reflection in the mirror.

Image: wikidata.org

Text written by Marina Veronica