A black and white jade carving of the Hehe erxian


17th century Carved as a boy carrying a leafy sprig of lotus around his back, standing beside another crouching boy carrying a ruyi, the stone of opaque white tone with brown and black patches. 6cm (2 3/8in) high.
|十七世紀 墨白玉和合二仙把件The Hehe Erxian, known as the Two Immortals of Harmony and Unity, were often represented carrying a lotus and a box, although the present lot is rare in that one carries an auspicious ruyi sceptre instead. The lotus (he 荷) is a homophone for the words for togetherness (he 合) and harmony (he 和).Compare with a larger green jade example of the Hehe Erxian, carved in similar form, Qing dynasty, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, 8, Beijing, 2011, p.283, no.255.