Buddai Buddha in transparent jada

HEIGHT 14 cm, WIDTH 16 cm, DEPTH 12.5 cm

Smiling Buddha, Fat Buddha or Pu-Tai originally Pibudai Heshang (Little-Monk Sack-of-Skin), is a recurring figure in Chinese Buddhist iconography, sometimes interpreted as a real-life historical figure. Budai/Hotei is always depicted fat and bald, with a sack on his shoulders or under his arm (from which he takes his name) that is never emptied and with which he feeds the poor and needy; it is filled with rice plants (a symbol of abundance), sweets, food, and many valuable things. He often carries an alms bowl, representing his nature as a Buddhist monk. His role is to protect the weak, the poor and children, and he is often portrayed next to them.