Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Paul S. on July 07, 2013, 02:28:47 PM
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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. :o
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.
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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.
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Proper spelling would be Schnapshund - see http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,44991.0.html (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.
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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.