Boxwood toggle depicting a large Lion and a small Lion which is a pun ‘May you and your descendants achieve a high rank (taishi shaoshi)’. The pronunciation of the word for large Lion (dashi) is close to ‘taishi’ while small Lion (xiao shi) is close to ‘shaoshi’. This toggle has seen so much use that the small Lion has almost been rubbed away. It also serves as a shopkeeper’s seal and dates from the Qing period (1644 – 1912). Height 4.6 cm. Width 2.5 cm. Depth 4.1 cm.