Ornament depicting a mandarin duck with a lotus flower in its beak. The duck symbolizes Peace and Prosperity. The Chinese word for lotus is 'lianhua' (莲花) or 'hehua' (荷花). 'Lian' is also the pronunciation of the word for Continuous (连) and 'he' is also the pronunciation for the word Harmony (和) so the lotus has the hidden meaning of 'Continuous Harmony'. Apart from the design of the thickness of the jade ornament very often reveals its age. Ornaments in the Ming Dynasty were much thicker than those made during the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1912). This small carving is made from rather thick light grey jade. It dates from the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644) and was acquired in Hong Kong in 1991. Length 3.6 cm. Height 2.2 cm. Depth 0.42 cm.