CIRCA 1720-40

Details

a rare enamelled duck ewer and cover
Circa 1720-40
Modelled with legs tucked under its closed wings, its gilded beak pierced and its back with a lotus flower cover growing from a stem forming the handle, the wings with moulded feathers and brightly enamelled in gold, green and iron-red, handle restuck
7¾ in. (19.7 cm.) long

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium. No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The Mandarin duck is a symbol of marital fidelity and has been used extensively in both two- and three-dimensional art in China for the domestic and export markets. A pair of very similar ewers is in the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, illustrated by W. Sargent, The Copeland Collection, 1991, pp.182-3, no.87. A single ewer and cover is in the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels, exhibited, Hong Kong, 1989/90, Chinese Export Porcelain, catalogue no.24, pp.92-3.

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