A LARGE GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDAI
China, 1368-1644. The smiling, corpulent figure is shown seated on his sack, which is hidden under his long flowing robe, holding a string of cash in his left and a chain of prayer beads in his right, his belly exposed.

Provenance: From the collection of Alexander Popov in Novi Sad, Kingdom of Serbia, acquired between 1900-1920. A copy of an old black and white photo, dating to early 1930s, with the collector’s cabinet, and the present statue on top of it, is accompanying this lot.
Condition: Excellent condition with wear, traces of use, some dents and nicks, and some losses as visible on the images in the catalogue and at www.zacke.at.

Weight: 57 cm (including base) and 40 cm (just the bronze)
Dimensions: 31 kilograms (the complete statue) and 20.7 kilograms (just the bronze)

Budai is a popular figure in Ming bronze art, representative of contentment and abundance. He is usually portrayed as laughing, hence the title ‘Laughing Buddha’. The current figure of Budai is a particularly large and finely cast example. Also note the detailed incision work to the borders of the robe, and also the finely painted eyes. On a matching, superbly carved Zitan double lotus base, dating to the Qing dynasty. (2)

Compare with a bronze of Budai similar in size, but lacking the gilding, at Christies New York on September 13th – 14th, 2018, in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, lot 1134.

大型銅鎏金布袋和尚
中國， 1368-1644。 布袋和尚面露微笑，胖胖的身體坐在口袋上，这个口袋隐藏在他长袍下，左边是一串銅錢，右边一串念珠，露出腹部。

來源：塞爾維亞 諾維薩Alexander Popov收藏，購於1900-1920年間。隨附一張1930年代黑白照片，上面顯示了這件造像在藏家櫃中的情況。
品相：品相極好，有使用痕跡，一些凹痕和刻痕，如圖（www.zacke. at）可見一些缺損

重量：57 厘米 (含底座) ；40 厘米 (銅像)
尺寸：31公斤 (縂) ；20.7公斤 (銅像)