marfa apraxsina and her dog

thanks wikimedia commons (PD: old)

Here's Tsarina Marfa Apraxina (1664-1716), second wife of Tsar Feodor III of Russia.  Marvelous, isn't she?  But for all the glory of her jewel-encrusted hat and choker and...well, everything, the most exquisite part of this portrait is her dog.  Here's another look at him:

Apparently there was a very tiny Russian Lapdog breed in the 1800's for sure; you can see a taxidermied example on this page.  I think this creature is too leggy to be that, and that breed is no longer to be found today anyway. Here's a recently developed breed that looks somewhat like, though: the RTB, Russkaya tsvetnaya bolonka.  Have a look at these puppies from an RTB breeder and see if you think they look like our Imperial friend.