Turquois Child with Two Lotuses - Side View

Jade carvings of a boy holding a lotus reflect Song customs during the Qixi Festival (a feminine festival celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month). Ming dynasty works of the same theme inherited this tradition.

This boy is carved in the round from a turquois stone. A hole runs through the caving from head to foot. This is called the "penetration of heaven and earth". There is also a perforation in his right ear that runs obliquely to the lotus stem behind him. The boy holds two lotus leaves with both hands. He seems joyful and full of life.