This joyful sculpture was handmade in hardened sand on the island of Java in Indonesia, depicting a Chinese monk called Budai, believed to have lived around the 10th century in the Wuyue kingdom. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have lived in the Indonesian archipelago since at least the 13th century.

Budai’s happy nature, humorous personality and eccentric lifestyle makes him different from most Buddhist masters. For this reason the Chinese calls him the Laughing Buddha. Many stories center around his love of food and drink, which is why he’s also referred to as Fat Buddha. He’s traditionally depicted as a chubby, bald monk wearing a simple robe and carrying his few possessions in a cloth sack, being poor but happy.

His figure appears throughout Chinese culture as a symbol of both contentment and abundance. Budai attracted people all around him, predicting their fortunes and the weather. He often went to sleep anywhere he could, also outside, since his mystical powers could fight off the cold and his body was left unaffected.

The statue comes complete on a black metal stand and its story printed out for you inside a beautiful envelope. Being handmade each piece is slightly different with natural imperfections.

Dimensions: ca 30 x 16 x 12cm with the stand

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