"Les cygnes chantent avant de mourir. Certaines personnes feraient bien de mourir avant de chanter." Samuel Taylor Coledridge

Rock Crystal Swan Form Container. China, Liao Dynasty (907-1125)

Crystal. Length: 2 3/8 inches. Price On Request

Note: The carved recumbent swan, its feet and wings tucked in, arches its head over its body forming a graceful loop with its long neck, the head nestled into the wing. There is a small aperture in the back, between the wings, with a fitted stopper secured by a gilt chain connected to the neck of the bird.

Berwald Oriental Art. New York. Email: info@berwald-oriental.com (all text & images © Berwald Oriental Art)