A Pair of Very Special Tiny Antique Porcelain Pugs with faces that melt your heart

THE STORY - "Oh my Goodness" I found myself gasping when I saw this pair of absolutely tiny Pugs, they were just so incredibly small and so very, very gorgeous, I actually found myself actually checking what I was seeing. The Pugs are porcelain, dating to the nineteenth century circa 1860 and it is thought they are from one of the Staffordshire Potteries. They really are very tiny measuring only 3cm in width by 3.5cm in height. They each stand on little rectangular cushions with tassels on each corner with gilt highlighting the edges and the tassels. Each dog has a salmon pink spot above their front hind leg and each has a little gilt collar. And then we have those hand painted faces, indeed I think the painting is really fine when one considers their tiny scale, how I adore their little dark eyebrows that frame their eyes and their muzzles which have the same salmon pink paint upon which black whiskers have been painted. For me they do a very good job at trying to look distinguished and haughty with their noses in the air and their ears standing up, but I find it impossible not to find myself smiling at them

AGE - Circa 1860

DIMENSIONS (Approx of each Pug) - Width 3cm, Height 3.5cm, Depth 2.5cm

CONDITION - Both Pugs are in very good condition when one considers their age, but understandably they are not perfect. The top of one ear on each dog is a little rough and on the dog that looks towards the right as we look at them the top of an ear has a small chip (this I could only see with a strong magnifier). The end of each dogs tail appears to be chipped off, which isn't surprising as they are so fine and there is some light rubbing to the gilt of each dog, my understanding is that these were once part of a collection and from their condition I feel that must be true.

I cannot tell you the sense of wonderment I get when I look at these two and consider how something so tiny can steal your attention so completely. And they really are tiny. I have tried to portray their scale in the first photo comparing their size to that of a walnut, but strangely it is in the final photo I feel I get the best sense of their tiny scale. Tiny they maybe but I can't help but think they are in the front of the queue when it comes to attention grabbing qualities and from their faces I think they know it!