Mandarin ducks flying, love intertwining.
The poem "May we be like mandarin ducks, not envious of immortals" written by the Tang Dynasty poet Lu Zhaolin, endows mandarin ducks with a beautiful image, symbolising desirable romantic love. Mandarin ducks are always paired, inseparable, once they come together, they stay devoted.
Due to the habits and symbolism of mandarin ducks, they are often used as blessings for couples, wishing for their relationship to be inseparable and last a lifetime. Additionally, mandarin ducks frequently appear in poetry and artworks, holding significant cultural and artistic value. As gifts, they not only convey blessings but also add a sense of weight and importance.
The Craftmanship:
The rich colour layers of this pair of mandarin ducks require delicate glass colouring techniques. The placement and proportion of the filled colour determine the colour patterns. The craftsmen must have a sufficient understanding of traditional Chinese ink painting to present such a dynamic flow of colours.
In nature, the male mandarin duck has a red beak. The artist needs to fill the desired liuli with delicate colour into very small moulds and ensure the right amount to perfectly present the red colour of the beak. The delicate relief feathers of the mandarin ducks, when refracted by light, harmonise with the internal glass patterns, giving the surface feathers a glossy sheen.
鴛鴦于飛 愛意繾綣
「願作鴛鴦不羨仙」這句由唐代詩人陸照鄰寫下的詩詞，為鴛鴦賦予極美意象，象徵令人嚮往的美好愛情。
鴛鴦總是成雙成對、形影不離，據說一旦結合，便始終不渝。
由於鴛鴦的習性與寓意，牠們時常作為夫妻之間的祝福，願他們之間的關係永遠如膠似漆、白首不離；另外，鴛鴦也時常出現在詩詞與工藝品中，擁有重要的文化及藝術價值，作為禮品，不僅能傳遞祝福，還能增添份量感。
〈 工藝技巧 〉
首先， 這一對鴛鴦的豐富層次，需要細膩的琉璃定色技法，填入的色料位置與比例，決定了不同顔色流紋的範圍，工藝師一定要對中國畫裡的水墨有足夠的瞭解，才能呈現這樣色彩的流動感。
在自然中，雄性鴛鴦的喙為紅色，工藝師要在非常小的模具中填色料，也要保證用量剛好完整呈現嘴巴的紅色。鴛鴦表面細膩浮雕的羽毛在光線折射下，與內部的琉紋相互呼應，也讓表面的羽毛富有光澤變化。
