The Art of Pugs
Francisco de Goya’s The Marquesa de Pontejos (1786)
I love pugs. My Scottish family always named our dogs after alcohol. My grandma had a dog named Jigger. When my young family moved to Manhattan Beach we decided to get a pug puppy for the girls. We agreed to name her Lulu after Lucinda Williams who we admire as a musician. However, the name didn’t feel right so I decided to change her name and continue with the tradition of pets being named after alcohol. As I was drinking a large amount of Martini’s at that point in my life, the name was perfect. Luckily Lulu, now Martini, was very cool about the name change and my toddlers just went with the flow.
When I was walking my girls to elementary school one day a fellow parent asked what our pug’s name was, and I answered Martini. He gave me this sideways look and I immediately said there was an Italian painter named Martini. There had to be right? I looked it up when I got home and there is. Simone Martini (1284-1344) was born in Siena and was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the international Gothic style.
I currently have a pug named Whiskey. My boyfriend and I got her during COVID, and she is awesome. She actually fetches which my other pug did not. We also had a hamster named Mint-Julip years ago however, he, unfortunately, didn’t live long. So back to pugs. Pugs are short, funny, full of energy, weird creatures that were bred for Chinese royalty to do nothing but be companions for them. Pugs started showing up in Europe in the 16th century during the Age of Exploration when merchants and travelers brought them to the Netherlands. Throughout the 17th-century pugs started popping up all over the place, especially in European portraiture. I remember watching the movie about Marie Antionette with Kirsten Dunst, I think called Marie Antionette, and she had a cute pug but was not allowed to take the pug to France upon moving there to marry the heir. That made me sad. Take her head off but come on…let her keep the pug!
What is it about dogs that make us happy? I had a friend once who said when you come home and have a dog you always get a hero’s welcome. How great is that? My pug Whiskey gives me a hero’s welcome and that brings me joy. Dogs already know how to be Zen. They live in the moment and are loyal and loving. In art, dogs often symbolize fidelity in a painting. The loyal dog next to his owner, ready to defend and obey. Pugs in paintings perhaps symbolize fidelity in addition to fun and a childlike essence.
The pug in Francisco de Goya’s The Marquesa de Pontejos (1786) brings an element of fun and playfulness to the painting. I believe pugs belong in the carefree romantic, flower swinging, pastel-colored world of the Rococo chapter of art history. And everyone needs a little more Rococo in their life!