Porcelain Buddha
I have been told this is a Porcelain Buddha made in China. The statue stands 33/34 inches tall, and weighs about 60-75 pounds. There are two makers marks on the back, one upper and one lower back. It is very detailed and seems to be in excellent condition.
Unknown. I bought the item at and estate sale, and was told the prior owner was a mountain climber and spent significant time in Asia.
Other
No
Thank you for contacting Mearto. This is a blanc du chine sculpture of Buddha. The figure’s elongated earlobes are related to the life story of the Buddha who was born into a wealthy family, and wore heavy jewelry. When he gave up his worldly possessions, his earlobes remained stretched, and served as a reminder of his rejection of material belongings. The 108 snails on Buddha’s head are related to a legend about being deep in meditation and not noticing them. This sculpture looks to be from the 20th century, based on condition.
Regarding the two marks, I cannot identify the square one. I’ve written to a forum of seal script specialists that may be able to help. The gourd mark indicates the sculpture is probably Chinese. Gourds have an auspicious meaning in Chinese culture. The Chinese word for gourd—hu lu—is a homophone of the words 'protection' and 'good fortune.’
I have included links below to comparable sculptures. The first link is to a trio of sculptures that sold for $150. They are smaller than yours, but bear the same two marks as yours. I’ve contacted the auction house to see if I can get any more information about them. The second link is to a sculpture that is of similar material, but smaller, that sold for $90. The third link is to a Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644) porcelain buddha, to get an idea of prices for historical buddhas.
Based on this information, the Fair Market Value for your sculpture is between $200 and $300. I am basing this on the price of the three figures and taking into consideration the size of your figure. Please contact me if you have further questions. I will get back to you if I learn more from the forum or the auction house.
$150, 3 figures, tallest 13”, SAME MARKS, 20th c.
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/93045900_three-chinese-porcelain-blanc-de-chine-figures
$90
Slightly smaller, same finish, japanese, 22”
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/28776703_japanese-large-porcelain-buddha-of-guanyin
$1200
Ming, 27”
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/44951013_large-ming-chinese-dehua-porcelain-buddha
