The Myth of Mops: Marie Antoinette, Mistranslations and the Pug Who Wasn't There
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| image: A photo of a modern pug by Mark Mingle. |
“You can have as many French dogs as you like.”
--Sofia Coppola's 'Marie Antoinette'
Mops. Anyone who has read a book about Marie Antoinette, fictional or otherwise, since the turn of the 21st century will likely recognize the name; or at least, they might recall the image of a round, adorable pug being ripped out of a teenage Marie Antoinette’s arms as she was ceremoniously handed over to the French.
Nothing of Austrian heritage, it was said, could remain as the Austrian Maria Antonia was transformed into the French Marie Antoinette; not her dress, not her undergarments, not even a little lap dog who whined as he was separated from his beloved, equally whimpering owner. However, all was not lost: thanks to some political maneuvering on the part of the comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Austrian ambassador to France, Mops was later fetched back from Austria and reunited with Marie Antoinette, now living in the lap of luxury as the dauphine of France.
The story was immortalized in Sofia Coppola’s ‘Marie Antoinette’; Mops was even used as inspiration for Lynn Cullen's delightful illustrated children’s book, published in 2006 as ‘Moi and Marie Antoinette.' Mops’ tale is often mentioned in newer historical fiction revolving around Marie Antoinette, and it’s not uncommon to find mention of his brief separation from Marie Antoinette in various non-fiction books about dogs, history--or both.
There’s only one problem: Mops didn’t exist.
