Pair of glazed porcelain baby boys lying on their bellies only dressed in a short kind of undershirt called ‘du dou’. Depictions of boys symbolize a wish for many sons. This cute couple has the typical hairdo popular during the years of the late Qing (1644 – 1912) and early Republic (1912 – 1947) but these boys most probably date from the second part of the 20th century. Each boy wears an emblem around his neck which is an interpretation of a Chinese lock. Miniature locks in silver or other materials were worn as a pendant attached to a chain around the neck. Especially young children wore these as the locks were meant to chain the child to the earth and make it difficult for evil spirits to abduct it. The quality of these charming boys is quite good. Their necklaces and bangles are covered in gold leaf. There are no marks on them. Length 26 cm. Width 14 cm. Height 17 cm.