Munich Dog Names

Many famous individuals have owned a Dachshund, but one stands out from the crowd, Picasso's beloved Lump (which means 'Rascal' in German). The small dog was owned by David Douglas Duncan, a famed American photographer. On April 19, 1957, Duncan and his fiance visited Picasso at his home La Californie in Cannes. They brought Lump along to the luncheon. Picasso asked Duncan if Lump had his own dinner plate. After Duncan responded no, Picassa immediately grabbed his paints and a paintbrush to paint a portrait of Lump on a dinner dish. He dated the painting and inscribed it to Lump. He then presented the decorative dish to Duncan as a gift. 

Undoubtedly, there was a strong attraction between Lump and Picasso. The small Dachshund felt at home with the eccentric artist so it was decided that Lump would remain at La Californie with Picasso. Lump became the artist's non-stop companion for the next six years. Duncan said in an interview about the duo, "This was a love affair. Picasso would take Lump in his arms. He would feed him from his hand. Hell, that little dog just took over. He ran the damn house."

Between August 17 to December 30th, 1957, Picasso painted 44 studies of the painting Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez. Lump was featured in 15 of the pictures. The entire series was donated to Museu Picasso located in Barcelona, Spain. 

During Lump's life with Picasso, the pooch was adored. Duncan stated, "Lump had a pampered life there. Picasso once said, ‘Lump, he’s not a dog, he’s not a little man, he’s somebody else.’ Picasso had many dogs, but Lump was the only one he took in his arms."

In 1964, Duncan visited Picasso's home and discovered that Lump was not well. Lump appeared to have a spinal condition that commonly afflicts Dachshunds. Duncan took the dog to a veterinarian but was told the situation was incurable. However, he was unwilling to give up, so he sought a second opinion from a veterinarian in Stuttgart, Germany. The physician advised that Lump undergo several months of treatment. The treatments were successful and Lump lived an additional ten years. The pooch passed away ten days before Piccaso's death on March 29, 1973.