Topic: pig friggers.

[Paul S.]

Hajdamach suggests that swans and pigs were the most common form of animal novelty frigger, but since I can't find a pic. of another pig like these - and both Hajdamach and Vincent show only solid examples  -  have to assume that hollow pieces like these are a lot less than 'common'.             
I don't know that you'd say these were showing off the glassmaker's skill, so probably just a whimsey for fun.        The seller suggested they would have contained 100's and 1000's or some sort of sweets, although I see that Newman - referring to pigs - says that some were solid, and others used as flasks............perhaps these might have been so used, for a drink of some kind?
Once emptied of their contents, many of the animal and toy examples were apparently played with by children.

Length is about 8.25" (210mm) - height about 4.25"                The tail has been used as the connection to the pontil rod - one piece showing a clean sharp break and the other appears to have been fire polished.
Below the bottom jaw there is a small area that has been ground/polished flat - and no idea why, unless the head had been formed separately in some way, perhaps.
Quite a lot of small bubbles and a few stones/seeds.

The slightly pincered trailing across the backs of these pigs it very C19, and I'm sure they're not later (I hope) - but aside from being eighteen something, I'm very unsure of a more accurate date, so hoping someone might have some more details to offer, and thanks for looking.

Ref. 'British Glass 1800 - 1914'  Charles R. Hajdamach  -  1991
       'Nailsea Glass'  -  Keith Vincent  -  1975.

[oldglassman]

HI ,
           try a search for Gin pigs, made in many countries including the UK , Scandinavia Germany Bohemia etc , from the 17th c till I suspect today ,
'Schnaapshunde' (speeling may be incorrect lol) will bring up 17th and 18thc german variations on the theme  yours look to be late 19thc to me possibly German or Scandinavian and I would think the one with the sharp break on the spout is actually broken ,they normally have a fire polished end or even a folded rim ,the mark under the chin may be were another punty rod was attached to finish off the fire polishing of the whole beast .

cheers ,
               Peter.

[Wuff]

Proper spelling would be Schnapshund - see http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,44991.0.html.
Unfortunately, what used to be embedded images was converted to links with the new software  ... click on the links in the bottom lines.

[Paul S.]

many thanks to both Peter and Wolf for suggestions and the link

I feel a little embarrassed, since I have Andy McConnell's book 'The Decanter'  -  do occasionally browse, and had obviously forgotten seeing the small section on 'Gin Pigs', which McConnell says are sometimes referred to as Scherzflasche (joke flasks)  -  so I was going down the wrong road with the idea of sweets.

Although referred to in a general way as gin pigs, they did exist in a variety of animal forms - I particularly like the Bohemian/German bear in Waldglass which apparently dated to c. 1675 !!,  and Spanish workers are said to have made donkeys.                Seems they are difficult pieces to date and have a long history, but I'd agree that second half C19 is more likely for this pair  -  pity about the broken spout.

thanks again.