Looty, 1861 (oil on canvas)

Looty, a Pekinese Lion dog. The little dog had been found by Captain John Hart Dunne of the 99th Regiment after the Summer Palace near Beijing (Peking, as it was then known) had been looted on 8 October 1860. When he returned to England he presented it to Queen Victoria for ‘the Royal Collection of dogs’. Looty was considered ‘the smallest and by far the most beautiful little animal that has appeared in this country’. When Keyl was asked to sketch Looty he was told he ‘must put something to shew its size it is remarkably small’. A replica of this picture was painted for Captain Dunne.