The Ruskin Family were not collectors of Landseer 's work, although John James Ruskin bought an unidentified drawing in 1848 for 42/-. Ruskin 's St George's Museum collection lists' A Study of the Lion, "Nero" (100) -- Pencil drawing (slightly touched with colour) by Sir Edwin Landseer' ( Works, 30.245). In Modern Painters II Ruskin suggests that we:
compare a dog of Edwin Landseer with a dog of Paul Veronese. In the first, the outward texture is wrought out with exquisite dexterity of handling, and minute attention to all the accidents of curl and gloss which can give the appearance of reality; while the hue and power of the sunshine, and the truth of shadow, on all these forms are neglected.. .This is realism at the expense of ideality; it is treatment essentially unimaginative' ( Works, 4.302).
In Pre-Rapaelitism Ruskin notes of Landseer that 'the highest merits of his pictures are throughout found in those parts of them which are least like what had before been accomplished; and that it was not by the study of Raphael that he attained his eminent success, but by a healthy love of Scotch terriers' ( Works, 12.365).