A FINE CHINESE CHALCEDONY 'MANDARIN DUCK' WATERPOT AND COVER

A FINE CHINESE CHALCEDONY 'MANDARIN DUCK' WATERPOT AND COVER
18TH CENTURY

Formed as a Mandarin duck standing upon a large lotus leaf finely detailed with incised veins, the aquatic bird depicted with a short crest and long wing and tail feathers, it turns its head whilst holding a reed in its beak, decorated in high relief with a shell, lotus and other plants trailing over the body of the duck, with a circular aperture to its back, the cover doubling as a water dropper, the stone cleverly worked with the duck picked out in white and the plants in dark orange, together with a wood stand carved and pierced with lotus motifs, 10.8cm. (3)

Provenance: the Lawrence Collection of jades and hardstone carvings, purchased from Spink & Son prior to 1959.

The Chinese call mandarin ducks yuanyang. The bird is a metaphor for conjugal affection and fidelity, and designs featuring mandarin ducks are commonly used at weddings. In Chinese pictorial art, mandarin ducks are frequently depicted in pairs swimming in a lotus pond. This water pot was probably made as a desk piece, for painting and calligraphy, perhaps given as a present at a special occasion such as a wedding. This form was popular in jade carving of the early Qing period, in particular the Qianlong reign.

十八世紀 南紅瑪瑙雕鴛鴦銜蓮水盂

來源：勞倫斯珍藏玉石，1959年前購於Spink & Son。