Wan Weisheng (Chinese, B. 1932) "Mother Swan and Chicks" Signed lower right. Tempera on Watercolor Paper. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting appeared on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the China Whooper Swans stamp issue of November 18, 1983. 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 belies the end result of two years of growth. Image Size: 14.5 x 17 in. Overall Size: 15.25 x 17.75 in. Unframed. (B08243)