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Ortega - Horse

Catalog #054 102×77×34cm

Unknown - Rooster

Unknown - Rabbit

A full-size carved wood carousel pig in full jumper pose — all four legs extended and off the ground, cloven hooves carved on each foot. The head is tilted sharply upward with mouth open in a lively, almost laughing expression. The figure has been stripped entirely to bare wood, exposing multi-block laminated construction throughout the body with visible seam lines at the joins. Residual staining is present in some areas, consistent with the owner's account of prior surface treatment. Carved trappings include a saddle blanket showing a cross-hatched or grid pattern on the non-romance side, a fringed edge on the romance side, a small metal buckle on the saddle strap, and a metal ring fitting near the jaw. A curly metal tail protrudes from the rump. The eye sockets are carved depressions with modeled eyelid detail; no glass inserts are present in photographs, though their absence may reflect removal rather than original construction. The figure is mounted on a metal display pole. A measuring tape in photographs suggests a height of approximately 30–32 inches and a body length of approximately 48–50 inches.
The owner refers to this piece as being displayed on top of a meat case at one of the owner's stores (reported) — an informal but vivid detail of how the piece has lived in the collection.
Acquired approximately fifteen to twenty years ago for approximately $4,500 (reported). The seller is recalled by the owner as "Jim Eaton," though the owner expressed uncertainty about the name: "I don't know if it was Evan" (reported). Whether the acquisition was at auction or through a private sale could not be recalled (reported). The figure was described as having previously been in a park (reported).
The name "Jim Eaton" also appears in connection with ID 013, establishing a possible pattern of acquisition from the same source across at least two pieces.
Prior to acquisition, the figure was in amusement park service — carousel of origin unidentified (reported). The park name, operating location, and dispersal date have not been established. No prior collection history has been recorded or independently traced.
The owner identified this piece as Herschell-Spillman in interview (reported). Independent photographic research conducted at the time of entry writing concluded that the carving style, multi-block laminated construction method, jumping pose, and expressive upturned head with open mouth are more consistent with the documented output of the Philadelphia school than with North Tonawanda production (inferred). The entry carries the Dentzel attribution at Medium confidence on that basis, but the owner's Herschell-Spillman identification is preserved as the reported attribution and the conflict remains unresolved pending physical examination by a specialist.

The G.A. Dentzel Company, founded in Philadelphia in 1867 by German immigrant Gustav Dentzel, was the first American carousel maker to produce permanently installed park machines and built carousels until 1928 under William Dentzel after Gustav's death in 1909 (sourced). From 1903, Dentzel's chief and master carver was Salvatore Cernigliaro, who created lavish trappings of flowers, bells, bows, and intricate halters and straps, and introduced cats, ostriches, pigs, and rabbits to Dentzel's menagerie carousels (sourced). Dentzel carousels tend to be large park machines with a mixture of horses and other animals; the animals are realistic and well carved, and although the company carved over a long period the style remained remarkably consistent with very few changes after 1900 (sourced). Animals were carved from bass and poplar wood, built as a hollow series of boxes and wood pieces glued together with hide glue into the basic shape, and then carved by hand (sourced) — a construction method visible in this figure's exposed seam lines. The Dentzel carvers were noted for their realism in the carving of veins and muscles (sourced). Vintagecarousels + 3

Documented Dentzel carousels typically carried four pigs per machine, positioned in the menagerie rows alongside horses, cats, ostriches, rabbits, deer, and other figures (sourced, Burlington NC Dentzel documentation). With approximately 155 functioning antique carousels surviving nationally (sourced, NPS), and Dentzel machines representing a fraction of that number, individual Dentzel menagerie pigs have entered private hands primarily through park closures and carousel dispersals since the 1960s.

Auction comparables:
- Guernsey's, New York, September 25, 2010: Dentzel pig, documented as formerly at Great Escape Fun Park, Lake George, NY, older restoration — estimate $20,000–$30,000 (sourced, LiveAuctioneers).
- AntiqueCarousels.com: ca. 1911 Dentzel pig from Edgewater Park Carousel, Detroit, MI — sold at $34,000 (sourced). Purchased in 1979 from the Redbug Workshop in Berkeley, California.
- LiveAuctioneers: Dentzel pig, ca. 1910s, 39 × 43 × 18 in., restored — price not retrieved (sourced, listing confirmed).
- LiveAuctioneers: Dentzel pig, 1903, 45.5 × 29 in., restored, Nancy Phillips Estate, Toronto — price not retrieved (sourced, listing confirmed).
The stripped condition of this figure would place any comparable sale significantly below realized prices for restored examples. The $4,500 acquisition price is consistent with the market for unrestored or stripped American menagerie pigs in the period when this piece was acquired.
The figure has been stripped to bare wood — all paint removed, surface in bare-wood state with residual staining visible in photographs. The owner describes this as a deliberate presentation choice, with the wood stained to reveal the grain (reported). Multi-block laminated construction is fully exposed. No glass eyes are present in photographs; the carved sockets show detailed lid carving suggesting eyes were once set but have been removed, or were never reinstalled after stripping. The metal tail is intact. No cracks, breaks, or structural failures are visible. The saddle hardware — buckle and metal ring — is in place.
This figure cannot receive a formal condition rating comparable to painted examples. As a stripped presentation piece it is structurally sound based on photographs. The decision to restore, display as-is, or partially refinish affects both the entry and the valuation significantly.
- Owner interview (two sessions: maker identification, acquisition context, park provenance, price, seller name, display history)
- Photographs: six images (DSC_2365–DSC_2370), dated 6/9/2025 — both sides, head close-up, rear close-up, scale measurement
- VintageCarousels.com: Cernigliaro biography and Dentzel menagerie documentation
- Burlington NC Dentzel Carousel documentation: menagerie composition per machine
- NPS Glen Echo Park: Dentzel construction methods (laminated basswood/poplar)
- Guernsey's / LiveAuctioneers: Dentzel pig comparable, September 2010
- AntiqueCarousels.com: Dentzel pig from Edgewater Park — sold $34,000
- LiveAuctioneers price results: Dentzel pig listings
- Cross-reference: ID 013 — same "Jim Eaton" acquisition source
Medium The carving style, construction method, jumping pose, and expressive head are consistent with the documented Philadelphia school menagerie output from the Cernigliaro era. However, the owner's reported attribution is Herschell-Spillman — a different maker — and this conflict has not been resolved. The stripped condition eliminates the most decisive attribution evidence: glass eyes, paint scheme, and surface decoration. Physical examination by a carousel specialist is the only path to resolving the maker question.