A RARE CLOISONNE ENAMEL 'MANDARIN DUCK' INCENSE BURNER AND COVER INCENSE BURNER: MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURYSTAND: MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

well cast in the round in the form of a standing mandarin duck with one webbed foot raised, its gilt-bronze head slightly turned to one side with its beak agape, inlaid with beady red eyes in paste, the voluminous body brightly enamelled with feathers, its back pierced with a circular aperture in the form of a cash coin, all supported on a Qianlong period stepped domed pedestal similarly decorated with cresting waves crashing on rocky mountains, above detached lotus sprays and lappet bands, the gilt base incised with a four-character Qianlong reign mark within a double square

There is general surface wear through, and tiny chips to the fragile extremities, especially the underside of the base. As expected, there are minor areas of retouching. The top of the removable cover is regilded.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

It is rare to find a Ming dynasty Imperial cloisonné enamel incense burner of this high quality, created in the form of a mandarin duck. Another closely related example from the Qing Court collection, depicted standing on a stylised lotus leaf, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 76. The overall structure, modelling technique and precise treatment of the enamelled design and specific details including the poised webbed feet, closely relate to the current example. 

For another Ming dynasty bird-form incense burner, see a cloisonné enamel example in the form of a waterfowl in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, pl. 42.  See also a goose-form incense burner, lacking its pedestal, from the collection of David David-Weill and now in Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, is illustrated in Beatrice Quette, ed., Cloisonné. Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p. 277, cat. no. 104. The current incense burner was at some point detached from the pedestal, possibly a stylised lotus leaf like the Beijing example, and during the Qianlong period the reign-marked circular pedestal was specifically created for it.

Qing dynasty examples are much more frequently found. See a pair of incense burners in the shape of ducks, attributed to the 17th century, from the Pierre Uldry collection, illustrated in Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné. The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, no. 220. See also a Qianlong period duck-form incense burner, in the Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt, published in Gunhild Gabbert Avitabile, Die Ware aus dem Teufelsland: Chinesische und japanische Cloisonné- und Champlevé-Arbeiten von 1400 bis 1900, Frankfurt, 1981, cat. no. 102; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in Zhongguo jin yin boli falangqi quanji [Complete works of Chinese gold, silver, glass and enamelware], vol. 6: Falangqi II [Enamelware II], Shijiazhuang, 2002, pl. 42, together with an incense burner in the form of a mythical beast, pl. 41.