A Little-More Information About a Recently Found Red Earthenware PiggyBank

Piggy Bank Report 1

I left out a key characteristic seen on the base of the red earthenware pig bank from last night's report because I wanted to do a little-more research before I discussed it. Incised on the base in capital letters is the word, NORN.

The Word NORN Inscribed on the Base of the Piggy Bank

According to what I have read, "A Norn is a part of the Norse mythology of Scandinavia, Britain and Germany until the establishment of Christianity. Norns are thought to be related to Germanic female deities…A Norn is any of three virgin goddesses of destiny or fate; the goddess of the past (Urd), the goddess of the present (Verdandi) and the goddess of the future (Skuld)…Norse legend suggests Norns were female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men. They also arrive when a person is born in order to determine his or her future.

There are both good and bad norns which can cause tragic events in the world - while others act as kind and protective goddesses. Some norns are regarded as shadowy, background figures who only ever reveal their fateful secrets to men as their fates come to pass…norns are also sometimes associated with death and the after life; however not all aspects of Norns were negative as they were equally associated with life and birth."

I tried finding some-kind of association with a last name (Norn), but all I could find was the mythology and religion that stands behind the idea of the NORN. Could this piggy bank perhaps have been made for a newly born child and the word Norn was placed on the bank to symbolize the goddess of the future for promise in prosperity and a fortunate future? Perhaps…it's a stretch, but it could also have even been made by a potter for a newly born child. The skill of the bank suggests that whomever this potter was that they were not overly skilled, but it does suggest to me that it falls within the whole folk art realm of today's art world. I would like to say the bank was made in Pennsylvania by a German potter, but I have no strong evidence to backup that claim.

Beyond this information, I am still stuck on an origin; although I do feel it is American from the late nineteenth-century or possibly the twentieth-century.

  Red Earthenware Piggy Bank

Probably Late 19th Century or Early 20th Century

Wonderful Folk Decorated Face
Measures 3 1/2" Tall and 6" Long
Country of Origin not Currently Known

  Unusual Decoration on the Back

Pig Decorated in a Greenish Lead Glaze
The Entire Bank is Hand-Made

Found in a Hubbardston, Ma Home

Purchased Recently at a North Shore Massachusetts Flea Market

Any comments, suggestions, attributions, ideas…etc. are more than welcome.

Please Stay Tuned…Much More to Come...