Silver lock and torque which can be opened. The lock is decorated with two Deities behind a table surrounded by clouds and flanked by servants. The Deities seem to be dressed as soldiers but we have not yet found out who they are. Are they perhaps the historical general Guan Gong and the bodhisattva Wei Tuo? Between the Deities is a depiction of a Lotus flower, symbol of Continuous Harmony. Under the table is a child which expresses a wish for offspring. The other side of the lock depicts a boy, with a Lingzhi fungus over his shoulder, sitting on a qilin. A boy riding a qilin is a pun ‘May the Qilin bring you a son’ (qilin songzi). The Qilin is a mythical creature that has the same role as the stork in the West. On the left flies a Bat (Blessings & Riches) and on the right stands a table with an undefined object on it. The torque is decorated with Butterflies (Blessings & Joy) and a Shou character (Longevity). The lock has an indistinct maker’s marks but the torque is marked Qing De (慶德) who may have been the silversmith or retailer. It dates from the late Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period (1912 – 1947). Total height 21.5 cm. Lock: Width 6.3 cm. Height 4.7 cm. Depth 0.6 cm. Total weight ca 75 grams.