Mandarin Ducks in a Lotus Pond beneath Squirrels

A pair of mandarin ducks rests on a rock under a clump of lotus, the flower of summer that symbolizes a harmonious marriage. Mandarin ducks are known to mate for life, and they too stand for conjugal bliss. Above, squirrels climb on grapevines, and the grapes grow in large clusters on the vines. Squirrels were known to have great reproductive power, and together with the image of grapes, they imply a wish for generations of numerous sons and grandsons.

Interestingly, this work was first shown at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, when American audiences paid increasing attention to the Far East after the construction of the Panama Canal. This work was sold during the exposition and has remained in San Francisco since then.