Mandarin Ducks

by Sun Chuanzhe

Title

Mandarin Ducks

Artist

Sun Chuanzhe

Medium

Painting - Watercolor On Watercolor Paper

Description

The brightly colored Mandarin Duck of East Asia is a species of unusual beauty -- and even more unusual behavior. Making its home in deciduous forests near ponds and waterways, this "perching" duck spends more time alone in the trees than among its flock. The male, prone to shyness, generally keeps his comments to himself except for an occasional nasal note. In his nuptial plumage, he is a boisterous sight to behold -- complete with iridescent speculum patterns, orange "whiskers," and a pair of very large, orange "sail" feathers that sometimes stand erect along his back. The female, dressed in a sensible mottled gray-brown color, makes her nest in a towering, solitary tree-hole -- often as high as forty-five feet off the ground. There she deposits -- into a mixture of wood bits and white down -- nine to twelve glossy, buff-colored eggs. When the ducklings emerge from this airborne roost, they jump to the ground almost immediately and learn to fly in six weeks. Mandarins cling to their lofty perches with long, muscular claws. They are not an especially gregarious species, but -- among themselves they do engage in the curious and fastidious practice of "social preening." Interestingly, Mandarins are frequently kept and raised in captivity, where they usually do well. In their native eastern Asian wilds, however, their population has lost numbers due to widespread destruction of the forests.

Celebrated Chinese artist Sun Chuanzhe (1915-1995) was born in Ningbo City, Zhejiang, in China. Sun is known as "the first person who designed stamps in the People’s Republic of China". During more than 40 years of stamp design work, he designed or participated in the design of 153 sets of stamps, including "Founding of the People's Republic of China", "Mei Lanfang Stage Art", "Ancient Chinese Scientists", "Huangshan Landscape", "Goldfish", “Panda", and "Golden Monkey”. Of the 30 stamp sets selected in 1980 as the best stamps since the founding of the People's Republic of China, 11 sets were designed by Sun Chuanzhe.

Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.

Artwork Copyright © 1984 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB08650

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March 27th, 2022

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