A Hearty Laugh

Viewing notes

A viewer's written impression — not a buyer review or first-hand record

This big-bellied seated figure is laughing, and the first thing it does is make you laugh with it. Bald and round-faced, with long ears on his shoulders, his eyes crease into a single curved line and his mouth opens wide, the mirth spilling from his face all the way down to his bare round belly. The monk's robe hangs loosely, tied carelessly at the waist with a cord; one knee is raised, one foot dangles, the right hand rests on a knee and the left braces at his side — there is not a trace of constraint in the pose. The whole surface is a warm golden-copper tone, and instead of a lotus throne he sits on a grey-blue cloud-shaped cushion edged with a band of red patterning, as if a piece of cloud had been cut down to be his seat. No need to enshrine this one stiffly: set it in an entryway, a tea room or on a desk, and the first thing a visitor meets is good cheer — a naturally auspicious presence for a space, and one that easily catches a collector's eye.