Last Sunday, I went to Midwest Art and Antique Show and Collector’s Eye in Cedar Rapids with friends Linda Dorr and Pam Bostwick. If you read my blog or follow me on Facebook, you know that this is one of my favorite shows. Most of the stuff on the Midwest Art and Antique Show side is way more expensive than I can usually afford, but as I was perusing one booth, I spotted this little pig.
The price was reasonable and when I showed it to the exhibitor, she laughed, said she had picked it up somewhere because it caught her eye, and lowered the price. I happily paid and tucked him into my bag.
There is no ear tag or even a hole where one would have been, but this looks like the classic tiny velvet version of Steiff’s pink Jolanthe pig. Some this size were attached to pin cushions. The exhibitor had a lot of textiles, antique doll dresses and the like, so maybe this was in someone’s sewing basket. It’s possible the felt parts – ears, nose and chin – were replaced because they are much cleaner than the velvet. The bright blue eyes, stance and airbrushing are typical Steiff. In fact, my daughter has a larger mohair pig in this design that my husband brought from Germany for her when she was just a baby.
He is firmly stuffed and has held his shape well. He even has a little curly wired tail. He measures about 10.5 centimeters or 4 inches from nose to heel and just about 2 inches from top of head to toe.
I have not attempted to clean this little guy. After all, he is a pig. If anyone has any ideas about cleaning him, let me know.
In the meantime, I will just enjoy this fellow sitting on my computer at my office.