Majolica Head Pig Plate Orchies, circa 1900

Rare large Terracotta Majolica Pig Bavent Normandy.

Large French Majolica Bulldog Wall Platter Circa 1890. Diameter / 11.3 inches.

A scarce German majolica glazed earthenware Wild Boar plate, circa 1890-1900. Unusual both for the subject matter and for the lighter glaze coloring, this delightful plate is playful and amusing. The dark glazing of the wild boar shows him in contrast to the more pastel coloring of the background. Raised mold work defines the landscape. A slightly scalloped rim. 9 inches in diameter x 1 inch high. Marked with an inscribed mold number – possibly attributing this plate to the Zell pottery...

In the late 19th century the concept of thrift became a principle by which parents encouraged their children to safe money by putting their pennies into a "piggy bank", thus the proliferation of these items by pottery manufacturers, this particular example marked "SS" on the underneath indicating "A Smith Ltd.", Longton, England whose ceramic, china, and pottery business began in 1846 by Sampson Smith. Nicely molded and in excellent condition, this proverbial pig themed penny bank is painted overall white with a multiplicity of green "spatter" spots, the pig standing on all fours has a twisted tail in back. The original finish is beautifully glazed resulting in a lovely patina to this completely original bank with no restoration or touch up paint of any kind and all of it's original hand paint intact. Since these type of antique banks typically were made without a coin removal trap, the only way to extract the coins would have been the old "knife in the slot" method and retrieving the pennies one by one; or the more simpler method of smashing and breaking the bank, which is why locating these banks is very difficult, rendering a fine example particularly rare. This example is a wonderful addition to a collection of authentic still banks, folk art, or for those who accumulate pig items. This recently came from an estate collection of pig still banks. A similar example is referenced as #633 "Two Toned Pig" in Andy Moore's "The Penny Bank Book" written in 1984 when collecting pottery banks...