Lot 3062. A Yellow Jade 'Duck' Group Waterpot and Cover, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 9.2 cm., 3 1/2 in. Estimate 800,000 — 1,200,000 HKD. Lot sold 1,240,000 HKD  (116,736 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's.

carved and hollowed in the form of a duck with its head turned back and webbed feet tucked underneath the body, the separate cover fitted tightly inside the hollow body of the duck, similarly carved with a recumbent duckling with its head turned backwards, its feathers meticulously detailed with fine incisions, the stone of a greenish-yellow tone with streaks of russet-brown inclusions.

Note: The waterpot was an essential item for the scholar’s desk, serving both as a utilitarian vessel and as a source of inspiration for reflection through the archaistic carving and the use of the precious stone. A similarly carved yellow jade waterpot was sold at Christie’s London, 12th May 2009, lot 5; one in the shape of a goose and gosling, from the Gerald Godfrey collection, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th October 1995, lot 834; and another was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 10th April 2006, lot 1764.  

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 08 April 2014