COURTLY COMPANIONS

Description

Andy Warhol and the German humorist and writer Loriot were self-confessed lovers of pugs; yet long before it appeared in Pop culture, the pug enjoyed great popularity in high society.

The first pugs were court dogs in the Chinese empire and arrived in Europe as diplomatic gifts in the sixteenth century. Two hundred years later they found their way onto the laps of noblewomen and, with this, into the portraits of contemporary rulers. Small and forever panting, the pug could not be put to use as a watchdog or a herding dog, but it compensated for this with its charm.

The dog ultimately found its way onto porcelain and faience. Johann Joachim Kändler, the most significant modeler of the Meissen porcelain manufactory, designed over sixty variants of the pug between 1740 and 1760—standing, lying, scratching, and performing tricks.

For example, Kändler portrayed the pug belonging to Count Heinrich von Brühl in a splendid one-off, but he also produced models for serial production. This southern German collection comprises over 150 ceramic pugs as well as other dogs, which vary considerably in size, pose, and decoration. Moreover, the pugs do not just appear individually; they may also be part of a courtly scene or decorate wares in the gallant style—accessories such as flacons, (snuff) boxes, and walking-stick handles.

Courtly Companions is a book for lovers of both dogs and porcelain and for all those for whom a passion for collecting and humor go hand in hand.