Lot 12. A  pair of carved polychrome wood figures of ducks, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Height of taller 12¾ in., 32.5 cm. Estimate: 12,000 - 15,000 USD. Lot sold: 2,520 USD. © Sothebys. 

the base cast with a four-character seal mark within a square cartouche.

Note: Naturalistically rendered figures of ducks appear in the Ming dynasty in a range of media, but it is extremely rare to find a pair carved from wood, preserved in such good condition with extensive traces of original pigments. The modeling closely relates to examples found in cloisonné enamel. See a single incense burner in the form of a mandarin duck from the Qing Court Collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 76. See also a cloisonné enamel ‘mandarin duck’ incense burner from the Speelman Collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd April 2018, lot 3448.

Sotheby's. A Journey Through China's History. The Dr Wou Kiuan Collection Part 1, New York, 22 March 2022