Pottery Piggy Bank! C14-15th, Java, Indonesia
A Majapahit Empire pottery pig, C14-15th. 34cm long.
Old collectors label.
Established on the island of Java, the Majapahit Empire reigned over what is, today, the Indonesian archipelago; from 1293 to 1500.
After defeating an invasion fleet of the Yuan dynasty Emperor, Kublai Khan, Majapahit settled into a mutually beneficially trading relationship with China and other countries whose ships, laden with spices and other merchandise, passed through the archipelago.
Sometime around 1300, an enormous quantity of Chinese copper 'kepeng' coins were imported into Majapahit. Although Java had had a gold and silver coin economy for centuries by then, this increase in non-agricultural prosperity under the Majapahit Empire created a new need for lower value cash with which to purchase goods and services. After the initial imports, the Majapahit began to cast copper coins of their own in the shape of the Chinese kepeng. Once regular people started having cash on hand, they needed a place to store it at home. So, the first pig-shaped piggy banks were introduced.
The animal depicted is, technically, not a pig. But, the Javanese celeng, a small, swayed-back, black-skinned wild boar. As with all its porcine cousins, these boars are fertile, have large appetites and enjoy wallowing in the earth. As such, they are symbols of prosperity, of good fortune and of a connection to spirits of the earth. It makes sense, therefore, that clay taken from the earth would be shaped into a fat little pig and used for keeping coins. Prosperity, literally, lies within its adorable round belly.
Clay pottery and brick masonry are popular feature in Majapahit art and architecture. The Majapahit Terracotta art also flourished in this period. Significant numbers of terracotta artefacts were discovered in Trowulan. The artefacts ranges from human and animal figurines, jars, vessels, water containers, piggy banks, bas reliefs, architectural ornaments, roof pinnacles, floor tiles, to pipes and roof tiles. One of the most interesting findings is Majapahit piggy bank. Several boar-shaped piggy banks have been discovered in Trowulan. It is probably the origin of Javanese-Indonesian word to refer for saving or money container. The word celengan in Javanese and Indonesian means both "savings" and "piggy bank". It was derived from the word celeng which means "wild boar", the suffix "-an" was added to denote its likeness. One important specimen is stored in National Museum of Indonesia, it has been reconstructed since this large piggy bank has been found broken to pieces.