Naturally it is Lump who replaces Velázquez's noble mastiff in this extraordinary, parodical royal assemblage.

Fanciers of muscular hounds with big jaws could circumnavigate the law by crossing, say, a mastiff with a pit bull, to create a perfectly legal canine nasty (as, indeed, has happened in Britain).

According to the Danish Kennel Club, the kingdom's population of fighting breeds such as pit-bull terriers, mastiffs and rottweilers has risen from 1, 000 to 20, 000 in the past five years.