Lot 115: A Pomeranian

Nicolas II Huet (Paris 1770-1828)
A Pomeranian
signed and dated 'huet 1828'
watercolor, bodycolor
16 3/8 x 20 3/8 in. (416 x 516 mm.)

Nicolas Huet, son of Jean-Baptiste Huet, was appointed official painter of the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris in 1804, and worked for the museum for the remainder of his career. Over two hundred of his drawings survive in the library there. Huet also drew animals, birds and plants for the Empress Josephine, who was a keen collector of natural history specimens.
Pomeranians originate from the north of Russia and Siberia, where they were used as hunting dogs. They were established as a breed in the 18th Century, and became popular with the English aristocracy after Queen Charlotte brought large white Pomeranians to England in 1761, the year she married King George III. Other well known enthusiasts include Michelangelo, Mozart and Queen Victoria.