19TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF SPINACH-GREEN JADE 'DUCK' CANDLESTICKS
19TH CENTURY
Each pricket candlestick is modelled as a duck with its wings outstretched and standing on a flattened tortoise, within shallow circular bowls decorated with waves to the interior and supported on three ruyi-shaped feet. The head of each duck is surmounted with the tall pricket encircled by a tiered drip pan. The stone is of an even dark green tone.
9 in. (22.6 cm.) high, wood stand (2)

Provenance

From the Michael D. Stevenson collection.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 20% on the buyer's premium.

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Alexis Yuen

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Lot Essay

This unusual combination of a bird, supposedly representing a seagull, standing on a tortoise amongst breaking waves is symbolic of peace. The imagery is from the legendary reference haiyen heqing, which purports that the sea will not be calm until the arrival of sages, and on their eventual appearance, the Yellow River will be clear and tranquil.
A pair of similar green jade candlesticks was included in the exhibition, The Jade-Carving Art in the Ch'ing Dynasty, National Museum of History, Taipei, 1996, p. 100. Compare the current lot with a very similar pair sold in our New York rooms, 22-23 March 2012, lot 1820.

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