Peter Carl Fabergé
Pig
circa 1907
(incised dark brown agate and diamond)
Perhaps this pig is cuter (and cleaner) than its usual standards, but that aside, it is undeniably a fine specimen of handiwork. Part of the Royal Collection, it ‘lives’ (so to speak) within a large and varied ménagerie of equally-exquisite and miniature stone creatures, all of which were made under the roof of Fabergé.
Known to have studied the animals from life, it is evident that the sculptor(s) of this pig placed a thorough amount of attention on its design before carving it. From its wrinkled snout and tiny hooves to its ballooned belly and flabby chin, the sculptor(s) emphasised its every feature with such realism that it is almost surprising to see that the pig is not breathing, too. Its small eyes sparkle with the same watery eagerness of an actual pig, one who is always snorting and grunting for food in whichever direction its nose takes it. The little pig’s flappy ears are also as realistic, each resting against its temples as if they had just swiped at flies and stray dirt; even its curved back is as gummy and apparently boneless as that of the real thing. The character of this pig is so engrained in its stone skin that it is loud to the eyes - loud in the sense of its compact visual richness. This is an animal who seems to sit still only because of our prying eyes, but one who instantly starts to sniff and rummage about again the second we look away.
