Featured Chinese Ducks

Bought these cute little ducks today.



Resin?
And any idea what the mark is?

 

looks like good fortune（吉祥）to me. And got some age imo, maybe 70s?

and worth noting that similar items are tagged mammoth tooth

 

I read 'and worth nothing'

 

That seems to be accurate. Thanks!

 

lol I always read same when I see others typing this

 

Could it be tagua nut, like this one?

And is it indeed Chinese, or is it actually Japanese?

 

never heard of that before, but I do agree the colouring and carving style is very similar.

and guess you mean netsuke？don’t know much about japanese antiques, but personally I feel like netsuke should come with holes? And also that base looks like designed to be placed on a surface, rather than hanging

but not necessarily netsuke to be japanese, most matches from chinese ebay are indeed japanese, so let’s see what others think

 

Tagua nut -

 

Sweet duckies. I agree, it looks like tagua nut, aka vegetable ivory.
With those pastel colours it could be Japanese.

 

So you thought you'd give it a try and see what happened? Cheeky shammie!

 

Fooled myself when I re read this

 

Neither had I

Ha! You've read my mind! I wanted to ask about that. I also thought that netsuke had holes, but I keep seeing small carved pieces being sold as netsuke, even if they don't have holes. Ignorant sellers? Or did the 'netsuke' evolve into a general term for this type of carved pieces?

 

If no holes, there should be structures designed to allow cord to hold it. Perhaps netsuke is just a popular tag to be searched and seen, for similar small objects not designed for hanging?

 

How can you tell if a netsuke is real?
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Formally, netsuke have few requirements: they must be small, they must have holes through which to pass a single cord, and they must have no protuberances that could damage one's kimono. Everything else is left to the carver's imagination.

 

Yes.

That too.

If you really want a Japanese term for your duckies, you could call them an 'okimono'.
Although some people would think okimono too grand a term for such a humble piece, sweet though it is.

 

Thanks!