A pair of Meissen porcelain pug dogs, the porcelain circa...

modelled by J.J. Kändler, each seated, the female with a raised paw and her pup at her feet, their coats enriched in shades of grey and brown, on rocaille bases, raised on a velvet-covered plinth

(2)

Height 12 in., width 11 1/2 in., depth 7 1/2 in. ; Haut. 30,5 cm, larg. 29,2 cm, prof. 19,1 cm
Height 10 in., width 9 1/2 in., depth 7 1/2 in. ; Haut. 25,4 cm, larg. 24,1 cm, prof. 19,1 cm

Catalogue Note:
A similar model of a seated pug bitch with her pup at her feet, modelled by Johann Joachim Kändler (1706-1775), is illustrated by Rainer Rückert in Meissener Porzellan (1710-1810), Munich, 1966, p. 169, ill. 1094. For two related models, see also Christie's, London, 7 July 1997, lot 366.

Pairs of pug dogs mounted on gilt-bronze bases remain rare. Notable examples include:a pair from the Dimitri Mavromatis Collection, sold Sotheby's, London, 8 July 2008, lot 24;another pair, on repoussé and gilt-bronze bases, sold Sotheby's, Paris, 22 October 2008, lot 63;a pair from the collection of Ghislain Prouvost, sold Sotheby's, Paris, 9 December 2005, lot 87 — the latter having been mounted as candelabra in the 18th century.

Provenance:
Sotheby’s, New York, The Collection of Patricia Kluge, 9 June 2010, lot 121

Literature:
RELATED LITERATURE:

R. Rückert, Meissener Porzellan 1710-1810, exhibition catalogue, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, Hirmer, 1966, p. 169, ill. 1094