QING DYNASTY, 17-18TH CENTURY
HEIGHT: 7.3CM
The soapstone is off white in tone with subtle inclusions of red and taupe and carved to assume the form of Budai, the laughing Buddha also known as Maitreya, the future Buddha. The grinning figure with heavy eyelids wears loosely-fitted robes, exposing his belly while seated on a raised rockwork platform. His right hand rests on his raised knee, while his left hand holds a scroll while leaning against a sack decorated with a lotus design. The raised leg exposes his woven slipper. The hair, eyes, eyebrows, moustache, pouch, scroll, slipper and floral robe trimmings are enhanced with black pigment. The seal script characters ‘Zixiu’ 子秀 is inscribed on the middle of its back.
SIMILAR EXAMPLE
A figure of a luohan also signed Zixiu, which shows great stylistic similarities is published in Arts of the Scholar’s Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, pp. 160-161, Catalogue No. 135
PROVENANCE
The Patrick Huth Jackson Collection
Bluett & Sons Ltd., 1978
清十七-十八世紀壽山石彌勒佛座像 《子秀》款
