CHINE, DYNASTIE MING, DEBUT DU XVIEME SIECLE

Mandarin ducks, symbols of marital fidelity mating for life and dying if separated, often decorate wedding gifts. They are frequently depicted together with lotus flowers to symbolize a harmonious conjugal relationship. See a cloisonne enamel dish decorated with mandarin ducks of almost the same size, dated late 15th/early 16th century, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum (MET), New York, accession number no 2011.111.