A Leg To Stand On: Mystery Mini Mini Part Two

Over two years ago, I shared the history and mystery of an oddball, tiny chip of horse pottery. The blog post covered how he may have been decorated, how his line drawing siblings may have looked in 3D, where he fits in the Hagen-Renaker pantheon, and the general sense of wonder such a beautiful piece of miniature art can instill in a collector.

I suggested that:

"When you are out hunting, keep your eyes peeled for these in the matte Monrovia brown, like the first season of the Mini Mini family, not dapple gray."

Collector Dawn Sinkovich was gifted with this bay matte casting, from the estate of Maureen Love, for her work in helping them record the collection and sketchbooks. It was from Maureen's personal collection, and is the only other known example of this mold, ever. He is going to be preserved, as he is suffering from extreme erosion of both his glaze and his clay. Dawn gave me this piece because she felt that he needed to be with his only brother.

As you may be able to tell, he is so friable, I could not pick him up for photos. From this angle, one can just see the incised eye and nostril that exactly match the dapple gray's mold. The bay has a black dot in his eye dent and inside his nostril. I can't imagine decorating those in a production line.

As you may imagine, I am so happy to have seen (let alone hold and keep) another casting of this rare mold! This hobby is an amazing one, and you never know where the odd blog post will lead. Looks like I finally found a leg to stand on.