Carved yellow jade medal, Qing dynasty, 19th century

Yellow jade 黃玉 (Huáng yù) from Hetian in the form of an oval medal, carved and decorated with reliefs of two children on the front. On the front are two children holding lotuses and standing on a large censer. 

The characters refer to the concept of "合和二仙" meaning "happy harmony", concord and peace in general, rooted for hundreds of years in Chinese culture. The two immortals of harmony are smiling, careless monks. One holds "lotus leaves in his hand" a homophone for harmony in Chinese. The other "a treasure box" homophone of it. Together they are the good wishes of people, newlyweds and family unity. 

Provenance: Important collection of Tommy Lam, Hong Kong, since 1980.

Size: 5.6 x 3.8 x 1.1 cm; Weight: 39 g