Late Qing dynasty/Republic period The first worked as a pair of joined mandarin ducks, the stone a gray-green hue with black and russet veins; the second a carving of a mandarin duck holding a large spray in its beak, the stone a deep green hue with russet patches; the third carved as a mandarin duck holding a large spray of budding lotus, the stone a mottled pale hue; the fourth a boy holding a lotus spray with a duck at his side, the stone an even white hue. 2in (5cm) length of longest (4).