A well-matched pair of hand-painted porcelain ducks in the rich rust-orange, cobalt blue and gilt-yellow Imari palette, with peony and chrysanthemum sprays scattered right down to the webbed feet. One holds its head low, the other calls upward with its neck arched back, so the two naturally face and balance each other on a shelf. Good condition overall, with just light dust in the base recesses and no chips or cracks.

Each base carries a hand-painted red mark reading "yǎ wán zhēn cáng" - a traditional Chinese phrase meaning roughly "a refined piece, worthy of a treasured collection," brushed onto decorative export porcelain to flatter the collector. Specialist porcelain-mark references note that this mark appears on some of the better-quality factory and artist pieces of the period, as well as on later decorative ware.

Each duck stands 15cm tall and is genuine glazed porcelain rather than a printed finish. Vintage, mid-to-late 20th century. A pretty pairing for a mantelpiece, dresser or windowsill.

I have plenty of other treasures available - please see my other listings. I don't offer postage, but I'm happy to hold items if you can't pick them up straight away. Collection from Lupton, near Kirkby Lonsdale - a lovely spot for a day out, with Devil's Bridge, Ruskin's View and a town full of independent shops, markets and cafés just down the road.