History of the Papillon Dog
| The History of the Papillon is traced through works of art. The earliest toy spaniels resembling the Papillon are found in Italy. Tiziano Vicelli (Titian) painted these small dogs in many famous paintings including the Venus of Urbino (1542). Other well known artists who included them in paintings are Watteau, Gonzalez Coques, Fragonard and Mignard. In a painting after Largillierre in the Wallace Collection in London, a Papillon is clearly shown in a family portrait of Louis XIV. Papillons are also in paintings of royal families around Europe and paintings of merchant class families. The breed was popular in England, France, and Belgium which are considered counties of origin by the FCI. The Papillon is a highly athletic breed. This Papillon is demonstrating the breed's great speed in dog agility.There are many stories about the Papillon. Marie Antoinette was said to have walked to the guillotine clutching her small dog under her arm. Tradition has it that her dog was a small spaniel that had been brought to the French court from Spain on the back of pack mules. According to the story, her pup was spared and cared for in a building in Paris still called the Papillon House. Marie's small spaniel was said to have descended from a very old drop-eared breed known as the Epagneul Nain Continental, or Continental Dwarf/Toy Spaniel that appeared in church frescos and paintings as early as the 13th century. The Papillon is still officially referred to as the Epagneul Nain Continental (ENC) in non-English-speaking countries. The name Squirrel Spaniel also has been used, most likely referring to an earlier standard in which the tail set is described as "curling over the back as a squirrel's." One version of the history of the two varieties of ear shape in the ENC ("Papillon" to denote the erect ear and "Phalène" to denote the dropped ear) is that toward the end of the 19th century, breed fanciers bred a version of the spaniel whose ears stood up. This dog was said to have been nicknamed papillon based on the impressively large, erect ears that resembled the wings of a butterfly. The drop-eared variety of the breed came to be called the Phalène (which means "night moth"). Both types are still bred today and appear in the same litter. The Papillon variety is much more common, although recently the Phalène has undergone a resurgence in popularity. (Wikipedia) |
| The Papillon's large, butterfly-like ears and symmetrical face gave the breed its name. Alternative names
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| Famous Papillon owners: King Henry II allegedly spent upwards of 100,000 crowns on his papillons. Marie Antoinette owned a Phalene, of many believed to be Papillon. This can't be true since all portraits show dogs with drop-ear. Madame de Pompadour and Henry III also had Phalene, who had a very strong devotion to the breed. Actress Autumn Reeser of The O.C. owns a Papillon named Gatsby after the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tech expert Leo Laporte owns a Papillon named Ozzie. Christina Aguilera owns two Papillon dogs, Chewy and Stinky. George Takei, Mr. Sulu from Star Trek and official announcer of the Howard Stern Show on Sirius 100 owned a Papillon Renne John Carmer and Amanda Titus own two Papillons by the names of Rocko and Spunky named after the characters in Rocko's Modern Life. Porn star Ron Jeremy has two Papillons, named Jenna and Tiffany. They can be seen in background of some of his movies. TV character Edna Birch from Emmerdale has a Papillon named Tootsie. (wikipedia) |
| The Papillon and Marie Antoinette It is thought that both Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour helped the Papillon become fashionable and they both admired and owned this breed. Madame de Pompadour was the mistress of King Louis XIV, and owned Inez and Mimi which were her two pet Papillons. Marie Antoinette had a Sevres porcelain model of a Phalene (Papillon with drop ears) in her room that was only found after her death. She was beheaded at the guillotine and her two pet Papillons were looked after by the inhabitants of the house until they died. Her house in Paris, France is known today as ‘The House of the Papillon’. In France, the City of Lyon in the late 16th century was known for breeding these miniature dogs. Until the French revolution, Papillon dogs were the most popular breed of dog in the courts in France. In Italy, the Bologna region probably had the largest trade in Papillons, as they sold many of the dogs to the court of Louis XIV. It was said that they were transported on the back of mules through Spain. |
Over The Centuries Over the centuries, the tiny Papillon has been far luckier than many of the Royal Families that owned them! In Europe the ruling families knew about Papillons but this breed was not introduced into Great Britain until 1905 and not recognized by the A.K.C. until 1915. Despite how popular they were among the Royalty and titled of Europe, they were very slow to be embraced by the English speaking people. The first English champion wasn’t born until 1922, and the Papillon (Butterfly Dog) Club wasn’ t formed until two years later in 1924. In 1935 the Papillon Club of America (PCA) was founded, with the United States holding their first specialty show in 1936. Interest in the breed faltered, and then regenerated in 1948. In 1954 the second specialty show was held. The Papillon has become a family favorite of men, women and children who not only love them sitting on their laps, but have a special place in their hearts for this breed of dog. |
Walzing Mathilda at
Road's End Papillons
Road's End Papillons
Excerpts from "Brief History of the Papillon" by Rachel D. Kemmerer (as it appears in the 1963 Papillon Handbook.) The origin of the Continental Toy Spaniel, of which the Papillon is the modern representative, can be traced through the paintings of the Old Masters of every country in Western Europe as far back as the earliest years of the 16th Century. Beginning about 1500, Vecellio, called Titian, painted a number of tiny spaniels, rather similar to the hunting spaniels of the day. In this century and the next, dogs – so like the Titian spaniel that it is safe to assume this was a pure breed – made their appearance in Spain, France and the Low Countries. The continued popularity of the little spaniel in court circles gave the breeders a ready market for their dogs. Evidently they conducted an intensive breeding program for its refinement. Over the years it developed finer bone, more abundant coat and profuse feathering. The most characteristic change, however, was in the shape of the head. Titian’s spaniels had relatively flat heads with little stop ; a type of toy spaniel painted shortly after by Veronese and others had high-domed, sometimes bulging heads. By the time of Louis XIV, French and Belgian breeders had perfected the type they sought. Mignard, the official court painter, in his portraits of the child Marie de Bourbon, the Dauphin and His Family, and several paintings of Henrietta d’Orleans, shows us a little spaniel that could scarcely be improved upon today. From Titian through Mignard and his contemporaries, all of the Contintenal Toy Spaniels had drooping ears. The ears were set high, although far enough apart to show the curve of the skull. They were of medium size, hanging, as one writer has expressed it "lightly". There may, however, have been an occasional dog with leathers of sufficient strength for the ears to stand erect. Two 18th Century paintings suggest this. |
Titan's Venus of Urbino
| Sofonisba Anguissola Italian Painter 1532-1625 |
| " St Valentine Baptizing St Lucilla " ( ca 1575 ) |
" Two small dogs " ( 1643 )
Nicasius Bernaerts
Flemish painter ( 1620 - 1678 )
Nicasius Bernaerts
Flemish painter ( 1620 - 1678 )
| " Still Life " Jacob Bogdani ( Jakab Bogdány ) Hungarian painter ( 1660 - 1724 ) |
| " Rehearsing the Song " ( 1634 - 35 ) Jacob Ochtervelt Dutch painter ( 1634 - 1682 ) |
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