Three boys surrounding a vessel

This brownish–green jade piece, suffused with white and brown mottling, depicts three boys overlooking a large jar, possibly a container for goldfish. The three boys wear their hair in the Ming dynasty style—their heads are shaven except for one or two locks of hair. The tall boy in the back wears his hair gathered in two buns, and carries a lotus leaf (a pun for "continuous") behind his back. His two companions, each with a single lock of hair, are trying to climb on the jar. The boy on the left wears a jade bi disc on his back. The lotus and the boys form the rebus "continuous birth of noble sons," or liansheng guizi. Decorating the jar is a lithophone or qing shown in low relief, a pun for "celebration."
The motif of a boy carrying a lotus leaf is reminiscent of the Ming dynasty. The presence of the qing, a typical Qing dynasty auspicious motif, indicates a later date.