African & Oceanic Art | Antiquities - 08 Jun 2021
A Java pig
A Java pig
Indonesia
terracotta, realistically modelled with tusks and wearing a chained ball around its neck, with a slot to the top of the shoulders,
46cm high, 76cm long.
With the regular use of coins by the Chinese in Java by the 15th century, terracotta animals were made to contain them, including rams, turtles, frogs and pigs, each with a slot in the back for the copper coins. The pig/boar was associated with prosperity.