Silver pendant and chain. The pendant comes in the shape of a Boy with a Lotus flower who holds a Qilin by its horn. A Boy carrying a Lotus flower (lian) means ‘May you continuously give birth to Distinguished sons’ (liansheng guizi). And a boy riding on a qilin is a pun ‘May the Qilin bring you a son’ (qilin songzi). The Qilin is a mythical creature that has the same role as the stork in the West. The boy is wearing the crown and the long gown of a First Candidate during the Civil Service Exams. Under the qilin dangle five small bells of which two are shaped as Pomegranates which symbolize a wish for many children as they contain many seeds. The pendant dates from the late Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period (1912 – 1947). Total length chain 45 cm. Pendant width 6.5 cm. Height 5.5 cm. Depth 1.2 cm. Total weight 45 grams.