Time Dances By - Pug Figurines

Item:	Description:	Price:
PP568	BASIL’S STUD ( Vintage Basil Matthews Porcelain Pug Dog ): Those of you who have visited our site periodically over the years know that I deal mainly in antique or antique style pugs. The only 2 modern style pugs I actively seek – both for myself and for re-sale – are those by the exceptional English porcelain artists Basil Matthews and Eve Pearce. You are most likely familiar with Matthews’ various comical seated pugs. (They are asexual and I call them “girls”.) I have had one of his standing pugs (definitely a male) similar to this one in my personal collection for over 20 years and sold another (now in our Pug Museum) soon after we opened “Time Dances By” in 2000 – smaller and much inferior in quality to this one. At that time I did not realize how rare they were. I have been able to find only one in the 10 years interim (with a repaired broken leg) until an English dealer found this one for me. The face is caricatured like his seated pugs, though to a lesser degree; however, look at the realistic quality of the rest of his body! His entire coat is covered with simulated hair with longer strands over his ruff and pug tail. And he is posed like a champion. (I am embarrassed to say that I even photographed his cute and very realistic rear end.) Matthews started producing his fanciful little figures in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, in 1946. Now deceased (1985), his small masterpieces have become quite valuable. The “Basil Matthews” signature is on his chest. It is fancier than that found on his seated pugs, which makes me think he made these early in his long and productive career and felt they were special. I’m hoping none of you will purchase him any time soon, so he can continue to live with me for awhile longer. Condition: Excellent. No chips, cracks or repairs. There are felt pads on each of his 4 paws. Size: 3 1/2" high, 4” long, 2 inches deep. Posed to display.	ON LAYAWAY!
PP509	WHITE GOLD ( Vintage Nymphenburg Antique-Style Porcelain Pug Dog ): When fine hard paste porcelain was first developed in Europe in the 1700’s it was sometimes called “White Gold” because it was literally worth it weight in gold. This gorgeous “Blanc de Chine” male pug, though made in the 20th Century, was crafted in the age old painstaking method from the original antique molds. I have a Nymphenburg Catalogue which details how they put together a dog such as this with such slender, delicate legs. Multiple molds are used. The Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory, located in the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, has been creating their porcelain masterpieces since the mid-eighteenth century. In my 35 years of pug collecting I can count on one hand the number of Nymphenburg Pugs I have seen for sale. (This one came from a private collection.) My catalogue, from 10 years ago, has 3 pugs in it – one antique & two modern. The prices are unbelievable! This pug is an excellent example of how our modern pugs have changed. Note the long delicate legs, the smaller head, the extended muzzle and the cropped ears. Interestingly our 18 month old pug, Jade, (see photos) is a throwback with these same features. (We haven’t cropped her ears yet, but sometimes threaten her with it.) We prefer to think she is just trying to fit in with our antique pug collection, rather than having a whippet as a father! In recognition of its noble pedigree this figurine carries the impressed Nymphenburg hallmark of the Royal Bavarian Coat of Arms (pictured upside down). Also on the bottom are the impressed numbers “471” & “7”. Condition: Excellent. No chips, cracks or repairs. Size: 4 1/2" high, 5” long, pug 2 1/2" deep.	SOLD!
PB118	CHECKMATE! ( Vienna Bronze Chess Playing Pug Dogs ): This is a real winner! It’s not really “checkmate” yet, but assuming Mr. Black Pug has his queen along with his king remaining and Mr. Fawn Pug has only his bishop along with his king, the match will soon be over. This is the classiest such pair I have seen – with the gold-trimmed slate-topped table and turquoise cushioned chairs with gold buttons. I have a vintage pair of chess playing pugs in my personal collection and it was a real struggle for me to decide which to keep. This newly cast pair is made from the old vintage molds and cold painted by the Fritz Bermann company of Vienna since 1850 – hallmarked “F B/W”. Condition: Excellent. Size: 3 1/2” wide, 2 1/4" high, 1 1/2" deep. Pugs 1 5/8”.	SOLD!
PP615	OPENING NIGHT ( Eve Pearce Porcelain Pug Dog ): Wow! What an elegant pug! All dressed up in his top hat, wing-tip collar and black bow tie. He’s chosen a beautiful bouquet of red roses for his lady pug and is ready to pick her up for a night on the town – dinner, a Broadway show, dessert and a stroll round Time Square. He’ll be the talk of the town. You can see this well-read New York “Swell’s” sophistication with his black bound collection of Broadway “Playbills” and red bound collection of Broadway articles and reviews. Pearce’s pugs are made from hard paste porcelain, not from molds, but modeled by hand – so there are no two alike. Yours will always be unique. You can see Eve’s hallmark on the back of the bottom book. There is a felt pad on the bottom to prevent scratching. To the best of my knowledge this is the first and only figurine of this model – another little Pearce masterpiece. (There is a small premium on her price when she comes up with something new.) Don’t pass up this pug collection treasure! Condition: Excellent. Size: Pug 4 1/4" high, 2” deep, 2 1/4" wide. Total height 6”, 3 1/4" wide, 3” deep.	SOLD!
PB100	THE SCHOLAR ( Vintage Bergmann Vienna Bronze Pug Dog ): We all know pugs are smart, but none of ours have ever learned to read. This beautifully sculpted intellectual pug is reading a book on a hand (or paw) held reading stand. On his wooden table are a mug of beer and a fine cigar. What could be finer! This pug was made in the early 20th Century by one of Vienna’s finest Vienna Bronze artists - Franz Bergmann. His first small bronze foundry was opened in 1860. His work was continued into the 20th Century by his son, Xaver Bergmann, finally closing in 1930 due to the great depression. The 19th Century animal sculptures were generally very realistic. The humanization of various animals (with pugs being among the most commonly used) began in the early 20th Century, probably reaching their peak of popularity in the 1920’s. They were “cold painted” so these old miniature masterpieces generally have some areas where the paint has rubbed off. You probably have seen the less expensive Vienna Bronze figurines decorated with bright acrylic paint. They have been made over the last 20 years or so. I have both types is my collection, but prefer the old ones. I have taken a close-up photo of the fine molding showing every hair of his coat. You won’t find this on the new models which are mass produced. It is very helpful to be able to differentiate the old from the new in terms of value. There is a Fleur-de-Lis on the bottom of the table – one of two hallmarks commonly used by Bergmann. There is also the word “GESCHÜTZT” which translates to “protected”, i.e. patented. I have never seen this particular model before, so it must be fairly rare. Don’t’ miss this chance to add it to your collection. Condition: Excellent. Minor loss of paint from mug and reading stand. Size: 1 3/4” high, 1 5/8” bench to table, 1 1/2” wide. Pug 1 5/8” high.	SOLD!
PP593	NOT ME! ( Eve Pearce Porcelain Pug Dogs ): You can just see their minds working – “Oh, no! Mom is really going to be mad at us. Maybe she’ll think the butterfly knocked it over!” The whole scene looks all too familiar to us. We recently added a little orphan kitten named Poppy to our menagerie. She and our two year old pug, Jade, have turned into our personal partners in crime! This is a custom ordered Pearce masterpiece. I feel quite certain you have never seen another like it, and probably won’t unless she adds it to her repertoire. Pearce’s Pugs are made from hard paste porcelain, not from molds, but modeled by hand. You can see Eve’s hallmark on the back of the base. There is a felt pad on the bottom to prevent scratching. Whether you favor black or fawn pugs – don’t pass up this beauty. Condition: Excellent. Size: Pugs 2” high, 2 1/2" long. Base 6” wide, 4 1/2" deep. Total height 3”.	SOLD!
PP419	BEAUTIFUL PUG BOUQUET ( Dresden Style Porcelain Pug Dog ): This beautifully decorated pug will look spectacular perched in some special niche on one of your bookshelves. I don’t have many of what I call “decorative” pugs, because they don’t go well with the antique and vintage pugs in my display cases. However, we do have several open areas on our bookshelves that we use for the display of “special” pugs, such as this one. The German porcelain company, Rudolph Kämmer of Volkstedt, has become well known for their high quality hard paste porcelain pugs – matching the finest in molding and decoration in the style of the great Meissen & Dresden Pugs. Kämmer is also known for having very large and glorious golden bells on their pug’s collars. This beauty is decorated by the loveliest flowers I have ever seen on a pug. I’ve tried to show a close-up of those on his back, but my photos don’t do them justice. Besides the usual Kämmer hallmark, this pug is also marked “handgemalt” (hand painted). Condition: Excellent. Size: 7 3/4” high, 8 1/2” long, 4 3/4” deep.	SOLD!
PP194	FEED ME! ( Antique Victoria Schmidt Bavarian Porcelain Pug Lidded Container ): One could use this large Bavarian Pug Head Container to hold numerous items – flowers, cigars, jewelry, etc. – but I selected candy – candy corn to be specific. The biggest problem I had in photographing him was refraining from eating so much I couldn’t keep him full! I have handled several sitting and standing Bavarian Pugs, but containers are rare – particularly ones with a hallmark. Like Conta & Boehme Pugs, these antique pugs – easily identified by their orange, black & white coloring – were inexpensive when made in the late 19th & early 20th Centuries and, thus, rarely hallmarked. Again like the C & B pugs they are nicely molded and hand painted. They were made by the Porcelain Factory – Victoria Schmidt & Co. of Altrohlau, Austria (1891 - 1918) in what was then the Bavarian portion of the Austrian Empire. You can see the hallmark on the bottom, along with “182.” (probably the decorating artist) and a red “V”. On the upper edge there is the number “753”. On the lid are a repetition of “182.” and the number “679”. The oval hallmark contains “Victoria” & “Carlsbad” with “Austria” below. An eagle is inside the oval. (Altrohlau, Bohemia, Austria is now Stara Role in the Czech Republic.) A pug collector from New Zealand told me these pugs were commonly called “Bavarian Pugs”, so I have adopted that nomenclature. Buy it now! It is large enough to stand alone or become a nice part of your pug collection. Condition: Excellent. No chips cracks or repairs. Size: 4 3/4" high, 6 1/4" long, 4 1/2" wide. Opening 3 1/2” long, 3” wide.	SOLD!
PB098	BRONZE BEAUTY ( Antique Vienna Bronze Pug Dog ): The Viennese started “humanizing” some of their bronze animal figurines in the early 20th Century. The desire was partly to provide something new and attractive and partly to use smaller animals – costing less to make – in order to move their bronzes from the Biedermeier cabinets of the wealthy to the shelves of the middle class traveler as souvenirs of Austria. Pugs were a natural selection for use as a humanized animal for reasons I need not explain to any “pug parents”. On rare occasions – usually at high end antique shows – I see one of the handful of larger, beautifully detailed, naturalistic Vienna Bronze Pugs from the late 1800’s. Even with much of their paint missing they are highly prized and priced. The bronze from which they are made can easily be recognized where it can be seen on the base and on rubbed areas, as well as from the very heavy weight. (Some 20th Century Vienna “Bronzes” were made of lesser metals when wars or the great depression made the copper used in bronze scarce or too expensive.) I recently obtained this handsome seated male Vienna Bronze Pug. Please note the fine detail of the molding in the close-up of his back and his face – showing his pug wrinkles, muzzle, detailed eyes & brows, his ruff and the red collar with ring he is wearing. The side view shows his elongated muzzle typical of 19th Century Pugs. Condition: Moderate loss of paint from rubbing. No chips, cracks, repairs or repainting. Size: 2 1/2” high, 2 1/4” long, 1 3/8” wide.	SOLD!
PM089	PEN & INK, MASTER? ( Victorian Wood Carved Pug Dog Inkwell ): This Antique Pug Pen Holder & Inkwell had to be inspirational to his owner. Doesn’t he just inspire you to write? This is a most unusual Victorian Wooden Pug Inkwell – possibly one of a kind. I have seen a number, but all the others have been just the pug’s head. I particularly love the evidence that he was well used and his sparkling glass eyes. He has ink spatters all down his front. He has decoration darkening of his face, feet and the stripe down his back, but most of the rest of the dark areas you see are ink. Another sign of use is what remains of the ink pad covering the spring seen in the cap of the inkwell. It was a pen wipe, well worn and ink stained. All parts of the metal inkwell are intact. In the bottom is a partial hallmark – “K. A.” above a stylized eagle, most commonly used in Germany & Austria, with a partial name: “J. STREI...” & “WIEN...” beneath the eagle. The latter probably means this is from Vienna (Wien). The base has a well worn pad on the bottom covering a pewter plate over the attachments. His one flaw is a repaired left front leg. He is darker than my photos. I had to lighten him to show the details. The 6 ¾” 14KT tipped Vintage Dip Pen pictured is included. Condition: Very good. Repaired left front leg. Original metal inkwell intact. Size: Pug 6” high, 2 ¼” wide, 3 ¼” deep. Base 4 ¼” deep, 3 ½” wide, ¾” high. Total height 6 ¾”.	SOLD!
PP551	LARGE & LOVELY QUEEN PUG ( Antique Conta & Boehme German Porcelain Pug Dog ): I can’t believe my luck! After looking for this largest model of the seated Conte & Boehme Pugs (for an affordable price) most of my collecting life, this is the second one I’ve found in 2 years. This large C & B Pug is much less common than their smaller 3” to 5” pugs. Most pug owners have been told “She’s so ugly she’s cute”. That phrase may fit these C & B pugs dating from the late 1800’s. They become lovely in our eyes. This one sports a collar decorated with 2 blue stripes and a central gold stripe, along with 5 large bells and a large bow. She has the added bonus of having the impressed C & B Hallmark of an Arm bearing a Short Sword within a Shield on her left front paw along with an “11”. Her right front paw bears a “1560” and a “00”. The German Conte & Boehme Porcelain Company did not make the high quality, perfectly molded pugs like those produced in Meissen, Dresden & Nymphenburg. Their figurines of all types were made for the common folk and were relatively inexpensive so most were not hallmarked. These C & B Pugs were made in the latter part of the 1800’s, with the large models much less common than the smaller 3" to 5" pugs. Condition: Very good. She has some superficial paint loss from her tail, as well as the usual loss of most of the gold paint from the bells & collar. (It is cold painted after firing so it rubs off easily.) There are 2 fine firing cracks (see photos). None of these really affect her value since, as mentioned, these pugs were never originally made to perfection. What does lower her value is my discovery, on careful inspection with a “black” light, of a professional repair of one of her bells attached to a small flake of the collar (see photos). On the other hand, the presence of the C & B Hallmark increases her value, so I’m sure she will become a prized possession for some lucky collector. Size: 8 1/2” high, 10” long, 5 1/4” wide.	SOLD!
PP246	BARON PUG ( Antique Conta & Boehme Porcelain Pug Dog ): Look at the way this pug stands so proudly. He is obviously pug royalty with his black and gold stripped collar bearing 5 large bells and a large bow. Conta & Boehme was a well known German Porcelain Company during the latter half of the 19th Century - best known for their “fairing” pieces given out as prizes at English country fairs. They also made a large number of pugs which were relatively inexpensive when made – not of the quality of the more famous Meissen & Dresden Pugs. It is for this reason most are not hallmarked. Their size varied from around 2” high up to 8” or 9” high. This is an average sized pug, but the standing pugs are rarer than the sitting pugs. You can see he goes very nicely with FRAULINE PUG (PP501). Condition: Excellent. There is an area on the belly where the glaze is thinner. I have photographed it for completeness, but it is of no significance. Much of the gold is worn off the bells – almost always the case in these antique pugs. Size: 4 ½” high, 4 ½” long, 2 ¼” wide.	SOLD!
PP420	LOVE THAT MEISSEN PUG ( Meissen Porcelain Pug Dog ): Don’t you love the wonderful expression and soft brown eyes of this wonderful Meissen Pug? He brings pure pleasure to the eye. Meissen has made the finest hard paste porcelain figurines for close to 300 years. Though this pug was “ thrown” (molded) sometime since 1974 when Meissen started the 5 digit model system, the original mold was made in the 18^th or 19^th Century – having been preserved by Meissen artisans even through the worst of the WWII bombing of nearby Dresden. These pugs do have slightly longer muzzles and legs than our modern pugs, but it is remarkable how similar they are. Looking at my collection of Meissen pugs and hugging my own pugs makes me feel close to history. There are two special things about this pug – he is large enough to stand out nicely in your display case and he has the most delicate blue bow you can imagine. I have attempted to show it in my photos. It looks like it’s made of satin rather than porcelain. Impressed in the base is the model number “78746”, a “77 AE”, probably the molder mark and a red “2814” probably indicating the artisan who decorated him. Condition: Excellent. Size: 5 1/2” high, 5 1/2” long, 3” deep.	SOLD!
PB079	VINTAGE BERGMANN 10 PIECE VIENNA BRONZE PUG BAND ( Vintage Vienna Bronze Pug Dogs ): It seems appropriate that the Viennese, famed for their music, should create this wonderful, whimsical pug motif which became very popular in the 1920’s and continues to hold the position of prominence in any collection of Vienna Bronze Pugs. When you click on the Maestro & Vocalist, you will see the rest of the band - the string section – violin, mandolin, banjo & string bass; the percussionist – big base drum; the horn section – saxophone & clarinet - and, of course, the Austrian Alpine accordionist. This band is old enough to have the high quality molding of the lost wax technique and traditional polychrome cold painting – yet it has only minimal paint loss and no broken parts – commonly found in the older bands. The band comes from the bronze factory of the most famous of Vienna Bronze artists of old – Franz Bergmann. His Fleur-de-lis hallmark can be seen on the side of the base drum and the back of the string bass. There is also an imprinted “Austria” in those same places, plus the back of the Maestro’s music stand. Condition: Excellent. Only a few areas of worn paint. No breaks or missing parts. All the pugs are 1 1/2" to 1 5/8” tall with the instruments and the baton making some higher. APPLAUSE PLEASE!	SOLD!
PM084	TERRA COTTA TREASURE ( Antique Austrian Terra Cotta Pug Dog ): I always look at the Terra Cotta Pugs on our buying trips, but they are always either too expensive or too badly damaged. Terra Cotta (baked earth) is unglazed, earth colored, hard baked clay. It is the softest material used to make antique pugs and thus the most easily chipped, cracked of just plain broken. Repairs are often obvious. That is why I was thrilled recently when I found this reasonable priced, charming Terra Cotta Pug with a lovely expression on his face, highlighted by two gorgeous golden glass eyes. He wears a collar holding a single golden bell. Even more remarkable is the deeply molded curly hair making up his coat. I have taken a close-up of his back to try to show you the detail of it. The great majority of these pugs were made in Austria in the latter half of the 19^th Century. They are unmarked and weren’t meant to be expensive, but have become so due to their rarity. Condition: Excellent. Some loss of paint on the collar, bell, face and tail. No chips, cracks or repairs. Size: 5 3/4” high, 6” long, 3 1/4” deep.	SOLD!
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