From their appearance – their robes, smiling upturned faces, , and clasped hands at their backs emulating a posture normally associated with old men in East Asian culture, -- our two rosewood carvings of young boys may be representations of Buddhist monks in training. The social code of Confucius (5th-6th century BCE), which emphasized filial piety and a reverence for the past, dominated Chinese culture for more than 2000 years. He believed that achieving a stable society lay partly in educating the young against “opinionatedness, dogmatism, obstinacy, and egoism.” Our two young scholars seem perfectly free of these disturbing influences. The two carvings appear to be a pair save for the different height of their bases. Condition: Excellent. Dimension: H 4", H 3.75".