The Order of the Pug

A bizarre but valuable snuff box commemorating a strange German fraternity in which the men pretended to dogs and barked as memebrs were initiated has emerged for sale.

The Order of the Pug was formed by Roman Catholics after the Pope in 1738 banned them from joining Freemasonry.

A series of pug-related items were made for the new order including this Schrezheim porcelain snuff box that is valued at a whopping 18,000 pounds.

It was made between 1761 and 1770 and measures just 9.3cm across and shows the crouching animal chewing on a bone, wearing a gilt-edged purple collar.

The cover was painted by Johann Andreas Bechdolff and the inside is decorated with a landscape scene depicting a figure facing a building across a gully.

After the Pope Clement XII's bull - Eminenti Apostolatus Specula - banned Catholics from Freemasonry men in Cologne are thought to have created their own organization.

Members were required to wear dog collars and had to scratch the door of the lodge to gain entry.

Initiates were said to have been blindfolded and led around a symbol-filled carpet nine times while other "pugs" would shout "Memento mori" - remember me.

The snuff box is one of a huge colection being sold by Bonhams that could make one million pounds.

The Helmut Joseph Collection includes 80 snuff boxes and they will be sold in London on July 5.

A spokesman from Bonham said: "These exceptional and exquisite objects were considered the pinnacle of refined 18th century court culture at its most luxurious and the collection has been exhibited in world-renowned institutions.

"Prolonged exposure to air causes snuff to dry out and lose its quality, so pocket snuff boxes were designed to be airtight containers with strong hinges, generally with enough space for a days worth of snuff only.

"The examples for sale at Bonhams come from what is without doubt the greatest collection of snuff boxes in the 20th century, formed by Helmut Joseph.

"Joseph began collecting boxes following the example of his father, who already has a substantial collection before WWII.

"A real connoisseur of early Meissen porcelain, he had a profound and intimate relationship with his subject, and a deep knowledge of the field.

"Helmut Joseph generously made his collection available to the public; he always showed an interest in sharing information, and indeed supporting the development of knowledge on ceramics, be it by funding museums, or publishing his own collection."