Chinese Ducks In the Duberly Collection
DOUGLAS PAGE
Incense Burner, Ming Dynasty, 16-17th century
Ben Aubury contributed significantly to the content regarding this duck.
This incense burner is from either the 16th or 17th century, and can be viewed in the Treasury at Winchester College. It was purchased by the Duberlys for £800 in 1966. The duck is extremely colourful, perhaps why it was so expensive. Formed in two parts, the duck of the incense burner is standing with its head raised and turned to the left. The duck is made from gilt bronze and cloisonné enamel and is coloured with green, red, purple, blue, two different yellows and white. The lid lifts off to allow the incense to be added. There is a pierced cash-shaped vent in the tail, which allows the smoke, made by burning the incense, to leave through the beak of the duck. The burner is 16.5 centimetres tall. The earliest duck incense burners originate from the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Most notably, one was recovered from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (d. 433 B.C.), alongside weaponry and musical instruments. Incense burners were first produced in the form of waterfowl during the Han dynasty. Court ladies used the incense burners at night whilst trying clothes on. The incense continues burning in the golden duck censer 'til midnight, as the court ladies keep trying on their new garments of silk and muslin. Zhu Youdun, 1406
This scroll painting is dated to early April, 1654, and was signed by Wen Long. It was purchased by the Duberlys for £26 in 1959. It has a modest colour palette, but a large amount of fine detail. The hanging scroll is made from silk, with ink used for the decoration. There are four pink-legged ducks among the reeds and bulrushes and there are two more ducks about to land. The scroll is 42 centimetres tall. There are three scroll paintings in the College's collections. They are all from the early Qing dynasty and they are all signed and dated, which increases their value and proves that they are not copies.
The Symbolism of Ducks Generally in China, the duck is a symbol of felicity, often paired with the lotus. Mandarin ducks are said to become feeble, even die, when separated from their spouse: this resonates with the idea of matrimonial fidelity. In addition to this, ducks survive the dangers of the river, so are often viewed as the talisman of safety.
Scroll Painting, Qing Dynasty, early April 1654, signed by Wen Long
This saucer dish’s base has a Jiajing six-character mark within a double circle, which indicates that it was made between 1522 and 1566. The dish comes from Jingdezhen, in the Jiangxi Province. It was given to the College as part of the Duberly Collection in 1978 and was purchased by the Duberlys for £5 in 1959. There are a large number of symbolic depictions on the saucer. The dish is obviously made from porcelain, with an underglaze blue decoration. The dish is almost flat — it has a domed base and a narrow foot rim. Its diameter is 14 centimetres.
In the centre there are two ducks swimming and two more ducks flying above. There is also a clump of bulrushes and other aquatic plants. The underside has sprigs of two peonies, a pomegranate and a peach. Major Duberly wrote that “the ducks denote married fidelity, the pomegranate fertility, the peach longevity and the peony riches and honour”. Margaret Medley, a friend of the Duberlys and a prominent art historian, an authority in the world of Chinese ceramics, thought that the dish was Transitional, from the mid-17th century, as the mark on its base was upside-down.
Saucer Dish, Ming Dynasty, 1522-1566
About the Duberly Collection The Duberly Collection of Chinese Art, a comprehensive collection of art primarily from China was formed between 1947 and 1970 by Major Montagu and Lady Eileen Duberly. They donated their collection to Winchester College in 1978, alongside an endowment to create the Treasury, then in the Beer Cellar, in memory of their son (below), James, a Wykehamist, who was killed in 1944. A catalogue of the collection, by Anthony Du Boulay, was published in 2019.
Produced by Douglas Page in 2021
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