Piggy Bank

Pig-shaped money jars have been used in Germany since the 13th century at least, made of locally abundant earthenware used by the populous then to create durable, affordable hollow containers. The pig shape symbolized wealth and fortune.

In medieval England, potters and craftsman used pygg , a porous orange clay, to craft various household items, such as pots and jars. In the Old English, Anglo-Saxons pronounced pygg as “püg” – “y” sounded closer to the German “ü” or the French long “u”. Pygg jars were crafted in various shapes for various purposes. The Great Vowel Shifting of the English language between the 14th and 16th centuries changed the pronunciation of many words. The pronunciation of “y” shifted to that of an open vowel “i” or “I”, making pygg sound closer to pig. That’s when English craftsmen began making pig-shaped jars, not only as an allusion to the clay, but also as an emblem of prosperity.

The mass-production of piggy banks from other materials, such as porcelain and ceramic, allowed for widespread adoption of those banks as symbol of wealth throughout Europe and North America during the Industrial Revolution.

Rose Szasz

The vessel featured in this text was crafted by accomplished ceramicist and painter Rose Szasz, who fled war-torn Hungary to start a new life in Montreal. Born in Pécs in 1935, Rose’s humble upbringing occurred during a harsh period
in the country’s long history – Hungary endured Nazi Germany, the Holocaust and an authoritarian Soviet Union. As Soviet oppression peaked in the late 1950s, Szasz planned to defect. She found refuge at a camp for displaced persons and made her way to Canada to start a new life in Montreal, where she established her career as an art teacher, a painter, sculptor and ceramicist in the years that followed. Rose succumbed to Parkinson’s disease in 2021 at the age of 86. (For more information about Rose Szasz, visit: Here)

The Restoration Process

The blue piggy bank’s small size (4.5 x 3.5 inches or 11.43cm x 8.89cm), glazed surface and the way in which it broke made it for a relatively simple restoration.

Adhesion

I began by smoothing the edges of the broken pieces, creating more space for lacquer and increasing the surface area for adhesion. Then I coated the broken surfaces with sute-urushi, raw lacquer that increases adherence when re-assembling the pieces. Subsequently, I covered the broken areas with nori-urushi, a pasty mixture of raw lacquer and mochi powder used as glue to bind the pieces together. After re-assembling the pieces in a firm position, I taped over the cracks to keep the vessel together during the curing period of eight days in the muro (For more explanation about terms, visit: Blog “Materials and Repair Process”).

Togi

After curing, I removed excess dried nori-urushi using a craft knife, making sure there are no major bumps on the surface of the cracks. Although not a necessary step, I applied ki-urushi to the exterior and interior of the broken lines to ensure better binding and overall durability. Then I sanded the surface of the dried nori-urushi using a charcoal called suruga sumi and sandpaper in a process called sabi togi, a defining step for achieving the desired aesthetic at the end. I made sure to smooth all of the cracks and set a nice bed for the kuro-urushi, a waterproofing black lacquer.

Shitajinuri

Immediately after sabi togi, I began the shitajinuri stage or “undercoating”, which is the evenly application of a thin film of black lacquer on the cracks using a brush. For narrow areas, I use a menso fude, which is a thin brush, and for larger areas I use a hira fude, which is a wide brush.

The process requires a minimum of three coatings for solid waterproofing and even surface. The vessels must cure in the muro for seven to ten days after the application of each layer. In this case, I applied a total of three coats of kuro -urushi. I sanded the lacquered surfaces between each coat using suruga sumi, which gave it in a smoother finish.

Kin-maki

Next, I began the kin-maki or “sowing gold” stage by applying a film of bengara-urushi, a red mixture of mineral extract iron oxide and raw lacquer. I used the menso fune to spread the red lacquer evenly on the adjoining areas, which adhered to the gold and prevented it from peeling off.

The fine gold powder is categorized by particle size and ratio of gold and silver. I used Sango Keshifun, or Powder No.3, a popular choice for its softer golden tone and fine texture. I opted for a more matte finish, polishing the surface moderately. Like all stages briefly mentioned in this text, gold sowing is a detailed delicate process which I’ll go into greater depth in future texts.

It was a pleasure restoring and reuniting this lovely little piggy bank with its owner. May its renewed beauty bring prosperity to their household.

Thank you for reading and don’t forget to check out the restoration video. If you have any questions or have a precious vessel that needs repair, please contact me at info@kintsugiterrace.com.