Papillon, or Butterfly-dog, is so named because of the resemblance of its ears 

to the outspread wings of a butterfly. It is a toy dog, of outstanding charm and

grace, a perfect house-dog and companion, gentle and reliable in temperament,

and full of life and animation. 

The breed is reputed to have originated from the Toy Spaniel ( Epagneul nain ) 

of Belgium, and was a favorite of kings and courtiers alike. A dealer of Bologna,

Giovanni Filliponi by name, who sold dogs, introduced and sold them to the 

Court of Lois XIV,  where they became great favorites, Again, there is a record

of a sale of one of these Bolognese pets ( see E.C. Ash's book, "Dog and their Development" ) to 

a lady, who afterwards became Queen of Poland, in 1545.

  Many writers suggest these dogs came to Europe from Spanish America,

  and that they may be related to the tiny Chihuahua, which they resemble in

  conformation of head and ears. This, however, is very difficult to verify.

  Little dogs resembling the Papillon may seen in many pictures by old

  masters of kings and courtiers of the seventeenth century .  Rubens, Van

  Dyck and other Flemish masters introduced these lovely lapdogs into their

  paintings of Court beauties of the period.

In the family group by Abraham Van du Temple, of Antwerp 

( date of picture 1688 ) there is a lovely red-and-white dog, with semi-erect,

beautifully fringed ears, and very well-marked head ; and again, Albert Cuyp, 

in his well known picture "Portrait of a Boy Hawing", shows the boy with a

read-and-white Papillon. In Rubens' picture of "Maria de Medici", the Papillon is

again shown. Madame de Pompadour possessed a lovely brace of these dogs,

and Marie Antoinette owned some and was devoted to her dainty and exquisite

little pets.

  The breed was popular in France during the earlier half of eighteenth century,

  and in many of the lovely and decorative works of Watteau, Fragonard and

  Boucher, the little dogs are depicted with their owners and the gay crowds 

  of courtiers, who loved to masquerade in those days as shepherdess. 

  ( See paintings in the Photo Gallery : 

  "Our Butterflies Journey with the Old Masters" )

The Papillon is one of the most interesting toy dogs in existence,

neat-footed, and naturally clean in the house, smart, alert and

companionable. They are essentially healthy and hardy. They

seem to thrive equally well in great heat or intense cold. 

The writer has sent dogs to America and Africa, where they have

encountered every extreme of climate with the same equanimity. 

  These dogs should have very long, thick, silky coats, the tail

  well feathered and carried well over the back. The ears should

  have immense fringes and should be carried erect. The feet

  should be long like a hare's. Legs : very fine in bone and also

  well feathered. Weight : from 3 lb to 8 lb. Head ; small, slightly

  rounded skull. Eyes : round and placed rather low in head, 

  and very dark in colour. Nose: black. 

In confirmation : The back should be straight and not too short, and the body

rather long and gracefully formed. On no account should it be short and 

"cobby". the colour should be black-and-white, ruby-and-white, tricolor, or rich

sable-and-white ; all black or any single color is absolutely barred. The head

should have the white blaze up the face. This should be clearly defined and

narrow, to represent the body of the butterfly between the wings.

  The very small Papillon is much sought after and is of

  a great value. When the breed was first introduced into

  England, many years ago, the dogs were very much

  larger than those seen on the show-bench to-day. 

  By very careful selection and breeding the type has

  been enormously improved and beautified, happily

  without spoiling the wonderful character, courage 

  and intelligence for which these dogs have

always been noted. In France the breed is often called "Le Chien Ecureuil" or

Squirrel dog, because the long beautifully feathered tail is carried over the

back like the brush of a squirrel.

These dogs are sometimes great ratters and rabbiters. The writer sold one

weighing about six pounds, which accounted for ninety rats in one year. 

The first one it ever attacked bit it badly on the cheek, but the dog never

allowed the "accident" to happen again. Another one, well known to the writer,

always brought in a brace of rabbits, and its best morning's work was seven  

pheasants. After this it left to live in town, where there were fewer temptations.