Lot 338. A Rare 'Blanc-De-Chine 'He-He' Twins Group, Qing Dynasty, 18th Century; 17.8cm., 7in. Estimate 2,000-3,000 GBP . Lot sold 2,000 GBP. Photo courtesy Sotheby's 2008

modelled standing arm in arm wearing simple tunics and boots, one holding an ingot in his right hand, the other a large leaf in his left hand, all supported on a crescent-shaped base with blind ruyi apron. 

Note: For a closely related example see one in the Porzellansammlungen, Dresden, illustrated in P. J. Donnelly, Blanc de Chine. The Porcelain of Tehua in Fukien, London, 1969, pl. 159a; and two examples included in the Exhibition of Blanc de Chine, S. Marchant and Son, London, 1994, cat. nos 32 and 33.

Symbolic of harmony and unity, these immortal Daoist twins are based on two irreverent priests of the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907), and are the patron saints of potters and merchants.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 05 Nov 08. London