Italian Spinone. History: Of purely Italian origin, there are literary references to an Italian wire-haired dog, a probable ancestor of today Spinone. In 1683, Selicourt wrote in his book "Le Parfait Chasseur" about a "griffon" coming from Italy and Piedmont. It is frequently portraied in paintings by famous painters in the Middle Ages (among the best known is the fresco by Andrea Mantegna in the Ducal Palace in Mantua - 15th century).