Han Meilin (Chinese, B. 1936) "Swans" Signed and stamped lower right. Original Watercolor/ Ink painting on Paper. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. Silently it glides through the waters of a still country pond. Pausing now and again, it dips its head into the water to find succulent aquatic plants. Arching its head skyward, the mature swan spreads powerful wings and leaps into the air, flying faster than any other waterbird. But the beautiful swan was not always so. As a "cygnet," the youthful swan was clumsy and awkward, deserving the epithet "Ugly Duckling." For a bird so striking as an adult, the eggs are surprisingly nondescript as well, generally half a dozen or so pale, unmarked orbs in a nest constructed of rotting vegetation. But the eggs' plainness bellies the end result of two years of growth. Image Diameter: 13 in. Overall Size: 20.75 x 20.75 in. Unframed. (B08382)