a fragile dog

thanks rijksmuseum. public domain.
collection url,  http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.60871

Because he's porcelain! Get it?  Yes, of course you do.  But you should know this alert, cock-eared fellow has been around since about 1760, and comes from the porcelain kilns of Nymphenburg, Bavaria.  They've been making fine ceramics for the Bavarian kingdom (or what's left of it) since 1747, and beautiful things are still made there today.  The Rijksmuseum thinks this dog may be by the hand of the great Rococo porcelain sculptor Franz Anton Bustelli.  Bustelli was known for the energy, grace and even wit of his modelling, all of which you can see easily here.  Look at his worried, curious eyes, his tiny nostrils, and those legs ready to spring.