| One of the most favorite subjects for | | | | Vincennes around 1750. It is felt that |
| the craftsman in porcelain and | | | | this piece if almost certainly a |
| earthenware has been toy dogs in | | | | Maltese. The little Maltese is now a |
| particular. In Chinese work it has been | | | | rare collector's piece. |
| hard to distinguish between the lion and | | | | The toy spaniel is another breed of toy |
| the dog. The lion-dog and the dog-lion | | | | dog that has been a favorite of the |
| share a lot of Chinese myth. The dogs of | | | | pottery modeler over the centuries. At |
| Fo during the reign of K'ang Hsi were | | | | one time most all households had a |
| dogs, however, and not lions. In the | | | | representation in pottery of their pet |
| city of Peking in 1680 the Emperor K'ang | | | | dog, or even a pair of dogs, sitting on |
| His set up an imperial kiln. At that | | | | their mantelpiece. Most of these were |
| time it was possible there were a | | | | most likely toy spaniels, almost |
| million people working porcelain at | | | | certainly Cavalier King Charles |
| 3,000 kilns. This production situation | | | | spaniels. They were produced by the |
| has never been matched. | | | | thousands, but do have a great charm. |
| Dogs of Fo, also sometimes called | | | | The details of the face were |
| guardian lions, are found frequently, | | | | hand-painted and each one was slightly |
| generally in pairs and usually with the | | | | different. Younger people did most of |
| male playing with the traditional woven | | | | the color work on these pieces, which |
| ball and the female with one of her | | | | gave the pieces an air of enjoyment and |
| cubs. Dogs of Fo were made in huge | | | | youth in keeping with the whole |
| quantities between the years of 1662 and | | | | character of toy dogs in general. |
| 1722. They were without doubt small dogs | | | | In the years of 1820 to 1850 the |
| of the Pekingese type. It has often been | | | | majority of these pieces was sold at |
| said that it is very doubtful the | | | | country fairs and was surprisingly high |
| Chinese ever saw a real lion during this | | | | quality. By early Victorian times almost |
| time they referred to these animals as | | | | all cottages had pottery figures and the |
| being lion-like, and that it is much | | | | dog, which was so much a part of the |
| more likely the Dogs of Fo, even though | | | | life of country people, it was just a |
| they had somewhat of a lion look, were | | | | natural choice to become a popular |
| actually dogs and not lions. | | | | subject for pottery makers. Many pottery |
| Pugs in pottery are seen even more | | | | makers made dogs, but it was |
| frequently than the Pekingese type of | | | | Staffordshire potteries that produced |
| the Dogs of Fo. A pottery artist named | | | | them the thousands. |
| Kaendler, who created works at the | | | | Almost every breed was modeled at some |
| Meissen factory used Pugs often. | | | | or another and no two are ever |
| In the eighteenth-century Staffordshire | | | | absolutely identical due to each potter |
| potters began to produce models of Pugs. | | | | and painter's slightly different style. |
| Their early efforts were not all that | | | | They all did have some common features. |
| nice as representations of the pugs. | | | | They were almost usually all white with |
| These pieces of pottery are becoming | | | | spots and patches of red or gold on ears |
| more and more valuable; however, they do | | | | and body. They usually had a padlock |
| not look like the typical specimen of | | | | hanging from the collar and a chain |
| the Pug. They are pot-bellied, long in | | | | slung across the brisket and over the |
| the leg and have peculiar expressions. | | | | back, most often in gold. |
| The French sculptor, Francois Roubiliac, | | | | What do all these pottery pieces of dogs |
| created a piece that looked much more | | | | tell us? They tell us not so much about |
| like the Pug. The head looks like a Pug. | | | | how the dogs looked at the time, but |
| The tail may not be just right and the | | | | more that toy dogs in particular, |
| legs are still rather long, but this was | | | | enjoyed a lot of popularity in the early |
| quite an improvement from what had been | | | | nineteenth century. Dogs, particularly |
| created earlier. It could also be that | | | | the toy dogs, were as much a family |
| the models of Pugs did have longer legs. | | | | member then as they are now, and |
| Sculptors are still creating Pugs today | | | | probably even more now than then. The |
| and as time goes on, the pieces continue | | | | pet and pet care industry is one of the |
| to look more and more like a real Pug. | | | | most lucrative businesses there is in |
| One of the most interesting little dogs | | | | the year of 2006. |
| portrayed in porcelain was the dog of | | | | This article is FREE to publish with the |
| Madame de Pompadour, produced in | | | | resource box. |