Piggy Bank

1300s-1400s

Piggy Bank, 1300s-1400s. Java, Majapahit Dynasty. Terracotta; overall: 24.2 cm (9 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1980.16 Do I look familiar to you? My round and exaggerated form makes me perfect for storing precious coins, which could be inserted through the slot (now closed) on the hump of my back. My fierce expression is a warning to scare off any burglars, and the padlock and chain around my neck indicate my function as a personal bank. Yes, I am a piggy bank—a lucky one that has survived intact for over 500 years! Usually we end up broken by people who want our coins. The word for piggy bank in Eastern Java is tjèlèngan, meaning ‘wild boar.’