Carved in white, evenly colored jade, this elegant flat pendant depicts a child with hair bound, thick eyebrows curved over almond-eyes, and thin nose. Dressed in a traditional Chinese undergarment, the child is holding a lotus flower, its right arm near the waist, left arm raised over the shoulders. Accompanying the child is an auspicious animal, giving the piece a special significance of happiness and joy. Overall, the piece is an uncommon find among pieces of its type. Pieces depicting a child holding a lotus flower were common in the Song Dynasty due to a fortuitous play on the words in Chinese—“boy and lotus” being rhyming wordplay for “successors” or “descendants.”

H: 6.8 cm