-Decker's Iowana- still bank c. early 20th century

This little bank in the shape of a pig, “Decker’s Iowana,” sits here in Minneapolis, but it could be from anywhere, really. It’s anonymous; we don’t know who made it. I think about the hand that formed it, perhaps out of clay. You start with a ball of clay and then, through pressure and touch, the form begins to appear. At first, it's just a general shape, but then the details emerge. The little legs, the snout, the curly tail with a tiny hole. Maybe this sculptor had pigs of their own. You know, I grew up in the suburbs, so what do I know about pigs? But the hands, they always know something. The patina looks like rust, a kind of earthy brown mixed with metallic gleams. It gives the pig a sense of history and of being found, like a relic from a bygone era. It could be mass-produced or one-of-a-kind; both are fascinating.