Pillot Dogs
Collection: Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD)
1870/Bronze display reproduction 1989
Bronze
Location:
Sam Houston Park, Dellray Bronze, Inc., Pillot Dogs, 1989
1000 Bagby Street
Houston, TX 77002
About the Artwork:
Pillot Dogs (1870/1989)
by Dellray Bronze Inc.
Pillot Dogs (1870/1989)
by Dellray Bronze Inc.
Eugene Pillot, born in France in 1820, arrived in Houston in 1837 and operated a lumber business. He also developed properties throughout the city, such as the Pillot Building on Fannin and Congress and Pillot's Opera House. He had a house built at 1803 McKinney in downtown Houston in 1868 and ordered a pair of dog sculptures from a Janes, Kirtland, and Company catalog in 1870 to “guard” his home. Made from cast iron, they were made in Morrisania, New York from a design by an artist listed as Richardson. Later, the dogs were donated to the River Oaks Garden Club. The Pillot family had owned the house for generations before donating it to the Heritage Society in 1965. The Club gave the dogs back to restore their original context. However, the cast iron had cracked and chipped and were moved inside of the Heritage Society Museum after a restoration process. These dogs are replicas, made from bronze using molds that were pulled from the original dogs. The dogs resemble Golden Retrievers with taut muscles and chained collars that have their heads turned towards the stairway. The dogs stand on bases made to look like grass and leaves, and their tails are standing straight up, as though on alert for intruders.
Perros de Pillot (1870/1989)
por Dellray Bronze Inc.
Perros de Pillot (1870/1989)
por Dellray Bronze Inc.
Eugene Pillot, nacido en Francia en 1820, llegó a Houston en 1837 y se dedicó al negocio de la madera. También desarrolló propiedades por toda la ciudad, como el Edificio Pillot en las calles Fannin y Congress y la Ópera de Pillot. En 1868, mandó construir una casa en el número 1803 de la calle McKinney, en el centro de Houston, y en 1870 encargó un par de esculturas de perros a través de un catálogo de Janes, Kirtland, & Company para que "vigilaran" su hogar. Fabricadas en hierro fundido, las esculturas se hicieron en Morrisania, Nueva York, a partir de un diseño de un artista llamado Richardson. Luego, los perros fueron donados al Club de Jardinería de River Oaks. La familia Pillot fue propietaria de la casa durante generaciones antes de donarla al Heritage Society Museum en 1965. El Club regreso las estatuas de los perros para restaurar su contexto original. Sin embargo, el hierro fundido se había agrietado y desconchado, por lo que, tras un proceso de restauración, las estatuas se trasladaron al interior del Heritage Society Museum. Estos perros son réplicas, hechas de bronce a partir de moldes tomados de las estatuas originales. Los perros se asemejan a golden retrievers, con músculos tensos y collares de cadena, y tienen la cabeza girada hacia la escalera. Las estatuas se alzan sobre bases que imitan césped y hojas, y sus colas están erguidas, como si estuvieran en alerta ante posibles intrusos.