i'm a spaniel. why, who are you?

thanks wikimedia commons. (PD-old-100)

Sometime around 1763 the Venetian painter Tiepolo was asked to paint a royal pet.  I'm sure he didn't expect to be quite so minutely examined by his subject. This is "Portrait of a Toy Spaniel Belonging to the Infanta Maria Josefa of Bourbon," an oil on panel entirely typical for Tiepolo in its luminosity and feeling for this creature.  Frankly, the pet was far more attractive than its owner.