Polychrome Pair of Glass Mandarin Ducks Tang Dynasty: Chinese Wedding Anniversary Present

Two Ancient Chinese Mandarin Duck Love Birds

Made of Layered Opaque & Translucent Polychrome Glass

Wedding Gift & Symbol of LoveTang Dynasty

618—907 A.D.

 

PROVENANCE/HISTORY

These solid-glass pair of Mandarin Ducks were obtained from an old collection that once was held in Henan, China.  The collection was reportedly moved to Hong Kong in the 1960s.  This is the first time it has been offered for sale in the United States.  This museum quality set is Extremely RARE and is Guaranteed authentic and original! 

This item is legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and is guaranteed to be as described or your money back. 

This item will come with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA.

SUMMARY

This beautiful pair of ancient, polychrome glass birds, Chinese Mandarin Ducks, dates to approximately the famous Tang Dynasty (618—907 A.D.).

 These molded glass, male and female ducks are made from translucent and opaque glass; the smaller female has a green head and chest. The various colors of polychrome, muti-colored glass are stunning and were likely a wedding gift for some lucky couple about 1,200 years ago!

 Each Mandarin Duck measures about:

• Green Female: 7 oz. (134 gr.) and is about 2.90” (74 mm) long.
• Blue Male:  6 oz. (130 gr.) and is about 2.81” (71 mm) long.

Each duck is made of solid glass in a stunning array of soft pastel colors that flow from one color to the next. Both the male and female have bright red crests in nature, and this is also the case in both of these glass figurines. However, the crest is larger and more pronounced on the male, who is this case has a yellow head and chest. (See reference photo # 12 for color photo of two Mandarin Ducks.  For reference only.)

 There also appears to be several Chinese characters that show up under the white calcium deposits on the base of each duck. Although nearly illegible, it appears that they are animals.

Provenance: This lovely pair of ducks was recovered decades ago near the modern Chinese city of Xi’an, in the province of Shaanxi and amazingly. They were originally acquired from a private collection in LuoYangShi, Henan, China, and this is the first time they have been for sale in the United States after purchase in Hong Kong.

 Condition: Each duck has some white calcium deposits and iron-red mineral deposits on the surface that are period correct from being buried for centuries in iron-rich, damp soil of China. The male duck has had one of his tiny, pink glass wings repaired on his back when it unfortunately broke off during shipping. The glass pair of ducks have not been cleaned and are in “as found” museum quality condition.

 DETAILS:

Why Are Mandarin Ducks Viewed as Symbols of Love and Marriage?

 In traditional Chinese culture, Mandarin ducks are believed to be lifelong couples; however, they actually pair up only for one season, like all ducks. But for millennia in Chinese folklore, they are regarded as a symbol of eternal love, conjugal affection, and fidelity, and are frequently featured in Chinese art and often given as wedding gifts. Both the males and females have crests, but the crest is more pronounced on the male. Mandarin ducks are also thought to represent peace, fidelity, and plentiful offspring.

 A cruel fact is, the male Mandarin ducks are not as loyal as legends have it. Male mandarins do love their partners, but only for one breeding season. It is highly likely that they go find a new “true love” next year, without feeling guilty. Most mandarin ducklings do not have the opportunity to meet their father. A male mandarin ducks may keep his partner company for a time during incubation, but will leave before the ducklings hatch and never returns.

The Chinese refer to Mandarin ducks as yuanyang (simplified Chinese: 鸳鸯; traditional Chinese: 鴛鴦; pinyin: yuān yāng), where yuan (鴛) and yang (鴦), which respectively stand for male and female mandarin ducks.

 A Chinese proverb for loving couples uses the mandarin duck as a metaphor: “Two mandarin ducks playing in water” (simplified Chinese: 鸳鸯戏水; traditional Chinese: 鴛鴦戲水; pinyin: yuānyāng xì shuǐ). A mandarin duck symbol is also used in Chinese weddings because in traditional Chinese lore, they symbolize wedded bliss and fidelity.

 You may find it fascinating that the Chinese name for mandarin duck is yuan yang! Yes, right there in the name is the ancient Feng Shui concept of “yin and yang,” the complementary male and female energies upon which so much of the practical side of Feng Shui and related fields are based. Unlike other ducks, mandarin ducks were thought to mate for life and also show a great deal of affection for their partner.

 In Feng Shui, mandarin ducks are the classic “love birds.” They even show obvious signs of mourning if their partner dies. Mandarin ducks are almost always represented at Chinese weddings. They represent fidelity and affection, for the long haul, through thick and thin, as the old saying goes. This concept and symbolism are harmonious to the promises made during most wedding vows.

 Mandarin ducks are native to eastern Asia, the area where the practice of Feng Shui was originally developed thousands of years ago. In these ancient times, humans were much more in touch with nature and they watched the behaviors of animals very closely and took deep meaning from what they observed. In terms of physical appearance, mandarin ducks are showy birds so it’s hard not to notice them when they’re around. Further, they’re not that skittish so it’s easy to assume that mandarin ducks happily went about their business while these ancient Feng Shui masters studied and admired them. It’s logical to assume that those who developed Feng Shui, along with the concepts of yin and yang, were profoundly influenced by their intimate knowledge of mandarin ducks.

 COLOR SYMBOLISM IN BUDDHISM

Buddhism traveled from India into China during the 1st century AD, becoming part of Chinese life and culture alongside the other established belief systems. Statues and Buddhist-related figures like these were commissioned by followers.  During the Tang Dynasty, expensive gifts like this pair of Mandarin Love Ducks were often given as wedding gifts.

The colors used in these glass ducks were not chosen just for their beauty, but also for their symbolism in the Buddhist religion. Color symbolism is used in a wide variety of fascinating ways in Buddhist art and ritual. In Buddhism, each of five colors (pancha–varna: which are Blue, Black, Red, Green and Yellow) symbolizes a state of mind, a celestial Buddha, a part of the body, a part of the mantra word Hum, or a natural element. It is believed that by meditating on the individual colors, which contain their respective essences and are associated with a particular Buddha or bodhisattva, spiritual transformations can be achieved.

 

REFERENCES:

1. Museum of Chinese History, Beijing
2. Shanghai Museum of Glass, Shanghai, China
3. Hunan Museum, China
4. Palace Museum, Beijing, China
5. Henan Provincial Museum, China
6. Shaanxi Archaeology Institute, China
7. The Ancestral Landscape, David N. Knightley, 2000
8. The Great Bronze Age of China, edited by Wen Fong, MET, 1980
9. China: A Dawn of the Golden Age.
10. Changhua Annals of the Republic of China (1911–1949)
11. British Museum, Jessica Rawson
12. Smithsonian Museum, Sackler & Freer Gallery, WDC
13. MET, New York
14. Chinese History Museum in Beijing, China, contains an outstanding collection of early Chinese glass objects, including a small, glass aqua cup that was found in a Han Dynasty tomb in Guangxi Province, China.
15. See “Ancient Glass Research Along the Silk Road” Edited by Gan Fuxi (Chinese Academy of Sciences & Fudan University, China), Robert Brill (The Corning Museum of Glass, USA), & Tian Shouyun (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China). This book states that ancient Chinese glass from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty (200-700 AD) contained High Lead Silicate or PBO-SiO2. Although chemical tests have not been run on this glass Jue, it is believed that it made from this glass composition.
16. See “Scientific Research in Early Chinese Glass” 1991, Author: Robert H. Brill and John H. Martin, editors.
17. Kwan, Simon; Early Chinese Glass; Hong Kong, 2001. ISBN. 9627 101524
18. Susan Whitfield, The Silk Road, Trade, Travel, War and Faith, London, 2004

Member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA) & the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)

Chinese History Museum in Beijing contains an outstanding collection of early Chinese glass objects, including a small aqua cup that was found in a Han Dynasty tomb in Guangxi Province, China.