Silver pendant shaped as a baby Boy who holds a Lotus flower in his hand. In fact there are two boys as both sides are the same and both have little ‘willies’ that move. 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. 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 4.0 cm. Width 2.0 cm. Depth 1.5 cm.