Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 53a

Hogarth's Dog, Trump

Figure
1747-1750 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Trump was the pet dog of the artist William Hogarth (1697-1762), and porcelain figures of the pug were probably intended for sale to admirers of Hogarth's paintings and prints. They would probably have been displayed in libraries or other domestic interiors. Trump has a much longer muzzle than the pugs of today.

People
Hogarth depicted Trump prominently in the foreground of his self-portrait of 1745 (now in Tate Britain). A combative personality, Hogarth identified strongly with his pet, and as a result was himself depicted as Trump in Pug's Graces, a caricature of 1753 by the watercolour painter Paul Sandby (1730-1809). The sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac (1705-1762) modelled the original terracotta on which this small sculpture is indirectly based. The manager of the Chelsea porcelain factory, Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771), was a friend of both Hogarth and Roubiliac.

Design & Designing
Roubiliac's original terracotta of Trump remained with Hogarth's widow until her death in 1790, while plaster casts of the pug were sold among the sculptor's effects in 1762. The Staffordshire potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) made versions in Black Basalt. He based these on a cast bought in 1774 from the London plaster shop of Richard Parker. The Chelsea factory probably also based its version on a commercially available plaster.

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read The Chelsea porcelain factory Though only produced for a short time, Chelsea porcelain was coveted by the wealthiest people in 18th-century society, from royalty to elite collectors. The V&A holds a world-leading collection of Chelsea porcelain, revered for its inventiveness and quality, including some unique and outst...

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleHogarth's Dog, Trump (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Soft-paste porcelain
Brief description
Porcelain figure of Hogarth's dog 'Trump', Chelsea Porcelain factory, 1747-1750
Physical description
Figure of Hogarth's dog 'Trump', soft-paste porcelain.
Dimensions
  • Approx. height: 13.2cm
  • Width: 26.5cm
Dimensions checked: Registered Description; 01/01/1998 by KN. Scaled from photo
Gallery label
British Galleries: The dog was made after a model by the sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac. It is likely that this model was bought from one of the London plaster shops, which sold plaster chimneypiece and library ornaments. Such plasters were often copied by the English ceramic factories.(27/03/2003)
Object history
After an original by Louis-François Roubiliac (born in Lyon, France, 1705, died in London, 1762)
Made at the Chelsea porcelain factory, London
Subject depicted
Association
Summary
Object Type
Trump was the pet dog of the artist William Hogarth (1697-1762), and porcelain figures of the pug were probably intended for sale to admirers of Hogarth's paintings and prints. They would probably have been displayed in libraries or other domestic interiors. Trump has a much longer muzzle than the pugs of today.

People
Hogarth depicted Trump prominently in the foreground of his self-portrait of 1745 (now in Tate Britain). A combative personality, Hogarth identified strongly with his pet, and as a result was himself depicted as Trump in Pug's Graces, a caricature of 1753 by the watercolour painter Paul Sandby (1730-1809). The sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac (1705-1762) modelled the original terracotta on which this small sculpture is indirectly based. The manager of the Chelsea porcelain factory, Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771), was a friend of both Hogarth and Roubiliac.

Design & Designing
Roubiliac's original terracotta of Trump remained with Hogarth's widow until her death in 1790, while plaster casts of the pug were sold among the sculptor's effects in 1762. The Staffordshire potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) made versions in Black Basalt. He based these on a cast bought in 1774 from the London plaster shop of Richard Parker. The Chelsea factory probably also based its version on a commercially available plaster.
Bibliographic reference
Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 1999.
Collection
Accession number
C.101-1966

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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