Artwork Page for Piggy Bank

Details / Information for Piggy Bank

Piggy Bank

1300s–1400s

Java, Majapahit Dynasty

Medium
terracotta
Measurements
Overall: 24.2 cm (9 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1980.16
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The word for piggy bank in Eastern Java is tjèlèngan, meaning ‘wild boar.’

Description

Do I look familiar to you? My round and exaggerated form makes me perfect for storing precious coins, which could be inserted through the slot (now closed) on the hump of my back. My fierce expression is a warning to scare off any burglars, and the padlock and chain around my neck indicate my function as a personal bank. Yes, I am a piggy bank—a lucky one that has survived intact for over 500 years! Usually we end up broken by people who want our coins.
A rotund terracotta piggy bank is shaped as a wild boar with small tusks lifting the edges of its snout, eyes slanting downward, brow furrowing. It has pointed ears and a band like a chain wrapped around the neck, which merges seamlessly with the hump of the back. The tan-brown colored hump transitions to the body, a darker brown with black speckles, then hooves, dotted with red, black, and orange.

Piggy Bank

1300s–1400s

Java, Majapahit Dynasty

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