Immortal 18th century China This pair (with 2015.500.5.12) of sculptural figures is representative of jade carving from the imperial Qing workshop. The figures substantial size exemplifies the imperial use of precious luxury materials. Designed as two boy attendants holding plates, the figures are depicted with subtle, mysterious smiles, an indication that they are not from the mundane world but hail from an immortal land. The story of how they entered The Met collection is also extraordinary. The figure on the left was a gift to the Museum from the prominent jade collector and museum trustee Heber Bishop, in 1902. The Irvings spotted and acquired the other figure decades later, in 1982, and realized it was unquestionably the companion to the Bishop piece. In 2015, the Irving jade was formally gifted to the Museum, and the pair of boys were reunited after a century!. Immortal 41917