清 角雕和合二仙|Boy with leaves and box

Unknown

19th century · Horn · Asian Art

Two boys each holding a lotus or a leaf in one hand and a box in the other are popular images symbolic of harmony and union. Known as the Two Immortals of Harmony (He-He Erxian)—in reference to the characters for these virtues, both of which are read he—this pair is also thought to have been inspired by the legendary Tang dynasty (618–907) Buddhist monks Hanshan and Shide. (pair with 42.90.31a, b)

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Horn

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Ellen Barker, 1942