1 ) Chow Chow by B Griffiths (English, op late 19th)
A Welsh / English provincial school oil on canvas of a red Chow Chow standing on a rug in an interior by B Griffiths. Signed and dated bottom right “B Griffiths. 1881.” Dated 1881 this is a very early image for the breed. Several Chow Chows were housed in London Zoo in the Wild Dog area and 1865 Queen Victoria was presented with some Chows. But public interest in Chows for breeding and exhibition begun in 1879 when Mr W K Taunton’s black Chow Chow bitch named Chinese Puzzle came to England. It was not until 1887 when the Marchioness of Huntley imported a male dog who she called Periodot, that lead to the famous kennels established by Lady Granville Gordon and Lady Faudel Philips. English, circa 1881