Silver pendant which is shaped as a smiling baby Boy who carries a Lotus flower across his shoulder. This pendant was most probably a wedding gift. A boy carrying a Lotus is a pun ‘May you continuously give birth to Distinguished sons’ (liansheng guizi). The boy implies the wish for a son and the lotus (lian) also means Continuous (lian). He has a Bottle gourd on his back which symbolizes Blessings and Fertility. In Chinese culture the absence of sons was a disaster. Wearing a small charm in the shape of a baby boy was supposed to ensure the arrival of a son. This charming but unmarked figure dates from the late Qing period (1644 – 1912). Length including chain 13 cm. Boy length 3.7 cm. Width 2.5 cm. Depth 1.2 cm.