This pair of vintage porcelain pugs sits tall and proud at 13 inches, covered from head to haunches in hand-painted blue and white, with soft touches of rose and coral red. Peonies, chrysanthemums, and fluttering butterflies drift across their bodies in a garden of tiny blossoms, each one painted by hand. A banded collar with a little bell sits at the neck, and on the back of each dog, a bold coral red ribbon bow ties the whole design together, a detail that makes the view from behind every bit as charming as the front. Even the tails are drawn in fine, feathery brushwork.
The pug has a long and royal history with China. The breed is said to have started there as a companion to emperors and nobility, who prized the little dogs for their company and kept them in great comfort. Dutch traders working through the Dutch East India Company brought them to Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, where they quickly won the hearts of the courts. According to legend, a pug named Pompey saved the life of Prince William of Orange in 1572 by alerting him to danger, and the pug became the official dog of the House of Orange. That journey from Chinese palaces to European salons mirrors the story of blue and white porcelain itself, which was shipped from China to Holland in great quantities during the same period and inspired a fashion that lasted for centuries.
The butterflies painted on these pugs carry meaning in Chinese decorative arts, where they are associated with joy and long life, and peonies are a symbol of prosperity.
Wonderful flanking a fireplace, on either end of a console or bookcase, or at the foot of a bed or entry. They also make a perfect gift for any pug lover.
Tucked inside every set, a little something for first time Tavola customers — a hand-finished vintage passport notebook. Note the piece, the moment, the person you gave it to. One day these pieces will sit in someone else's hands — and they'll know it came from yours.
This pair of vintage porcelain pugs sits tall and proud at 13 inches, covered from head to haunches in hand-painted blue and white, with soft touches of rose and coral red. Peonies, chrysanthemums, and fluttering butterflies drift across their bodies in a garden of tiny blossoms, each one painted by hand. A banded collar with a little bell sits at the neck, and on the back of each dog, a bold coral red ribbon bow ties the whole design together, a detail that makes the view from behind every bit as charming as the front. Even the tails are drawn in fine, feathery brushwork.
The pug has a long and royal history with China. The breed is said to have started there as a companion to emperors and nobility, who prized the little dogs for their company and kept them in great comfort. Dutch traders working through the Dutch East India Company brought them to Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, where they quickly won the hearts of the courts. According to legend, a pug named Pompey saved the life of Prince William of Orange in 1572 by alerting him to danger, and the pug became the official dog of the House of Orange. That journey from Chinese palaces to European salons mirrors the story of blue and white porcelain itself, which was shipped from China to Holland in great quantities during the same period and inspired a fashion that lasted for centuries.
The butterflies painted on these pugs carry meaning in Chinese decorative arts, where they are associated with joy and long life, and peonies are a symbol of prosperity.
Wonderful flanking a fireplace, on either end of a console or bookcase, or at the foot of a bed or entry. They also make a perfect gift for any pug lover.
Tucked inside every set, a little something for first time Tavola customers — a hand-finished vintage passport notebook. Note the piece, the moment, the person you gave it to. One day these pieces will sit in someone else's hands — and they'll know it came from yours.
Image 1 of 5
Image 2 of 5
Image 3 of 5
Image 4 of 5
Image 5 of 5
