After a visit to the Treasury at Winchester College, Ben Aubury and I decided to make videos and write blog posts on the three depictions of ducks in the Duberly Collection of Chinese Art. You can also read about the ducks in this booklet: issuu.com/godtres/docs/ducks. This is my blog post about a duck scroll painting.
Winchester College possesses the scroll painting below. Watch this short video to learn about the painting. Beneath the video I give a description of it, including a large image, an overview of the scroll paintings at Winchester, and a summary of the symbolism of ducks in China.
The scroll painting is dated to early April 1654 and has been signed by Wen Long. It was given to the College as part of the Duberly Collection in 1978, and features in the catalogue of the same collection. It was purchased by Major Montagu and Lady Eileen Duberly for £26 in 1959, the equivalent of £600 today. It has a modest colour palette, but a large amount of fine detail.
The hanging scroll is made from silk, with ink used to produce the decoration. There are four pink-legged ducks among the reeds and bulrushes, at the edge of the water, and there are two more ducks about to land. The scroll is 42 centimetres tall and 33 centimetres wide.
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.
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.
Winchester College – Collections: winchestercollections.co.uk/collection/scroll-painting Winchester College Treasury: treasury.winchestercollege.org 'The Duberly Collection of Chinese Art at Winchester College': treasury.winchestercollege.org/new-design/pages/forms/duberly-collection-of-chinese-art
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