Pugs in Meissen porcelain (Saxony, Germany), circa 1745

Pair of statuettes of pugs in Meissen porcelain (Saxony, Germany) with polychrome and gold decoration. The dogs, male and female with a puppy, wear a collar decorated with bells and a bow, they rest on an oval terrace decorated with flowers and leaves in relief. Model by Kandler and Reinicke, circa 1745. Marked with crossed swords in blue. H. 14 and 14,5 cm. The two tails of the dogs are glued back together, the blue bow is missing, and the flowers and leaves on the terrace have been restored. These dogs are very popular in the 18th century, especially since it has a particular symbolism in the Germanic world. Indeed, pug is translated by "moops" in German, a term that also refers to the mixed lodge of Mopses, created in 1738, in imitation of the Freemason lodges whose practices it imitated.