Skip to main content
Bonhams
Search

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

A rare Chinese group of the Tyrolean Dancers, Qianlong period, circa 1752
FOUR CHINESE YIXING WARES Late Qing dynasty - 20th century

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

FIVE BURMESE AND THAI GILTWOOD FIGURES OF BUDDHA Late 19th/20th century
TWO JAPANESE CELADON GLAZED STUDIO CERAMICS
Huang Shanshou (1855-1919) Dragons in Clouds
Birodo Yuzen Meiji era (1868-1912)
TWO JAPANESE BRONZE SCHOLAR'S OBJECTS Meiji/Taisho era
A KOREAN UNDERGLAZE-BLUE AND COPPER-RED-DECORATED 'GRAPEVINE' GLOBULAR JAR Late Joseon dynasty
A JAPANESE SIX-PANEL 'FARM SCENE' FOLDING SCREEN Late 19th/early 20th century
A KOREAN FOUR-PANEL 'PEONIES AND CALLIGRAPHY' FOLDING SCREEN Late Joseon dynasty
AN INSIDE-PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL 'LADIES' SNUFF BOTTLE, SIGNED YE ZHONGSAN 1919
A CHINESE YELLOW GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE 19th century
A FAMILLE-ROSE ENAMELED PORCELAIN COVERED BALUSTER JAR 18th/19th century
A PAINTED LACQUERED-WOOD FOUR-DOOR CABINET Early 20th century
Previous Lot
Next Lot
Lot 27

A BRONZE BUDAI SCROLL WEIGHT
18th century

Scholarly Gems from the Collection of Mr & Mrs Gerard Hawthorn
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £7,040 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

A BRONZE BUDAI SCROLL WEIGHT

18th century
The deity cast in a pose of relaxed ease with his right arm supporting his bald head with jovial expression between large pendulous ears, his left legs outstretched exposing his foot, clad in loose robes with finely detailed patterns, laying bare his large belly, traces of gilt, fixed wood stand.
16.2cm (6 3/8in) long overall.

Footnotes

十八世紀 銅佈袋和尚紙鎮

Budai (布袋), also known as the 'Laughing Buddha', was in fact, the Chinese monk Qieci (契此), who lived during the late Tang dynasty to the Five Dynasties period (10th century). As seen in the present lot, he is commonly represented as a plump, smiling figure embodying contentment, generosity, and good fortune. In Chinese Buddhist tradition, he is also recognised as an incarnation of Maitreya, the future Buddha. His jovial nature and itinerant lifestyle made him a beloved figure in folklore, symbolising happiness, abundance, and the blessings of life.

The bronze reclining figure could have served both as a scroll or paper weight and a brush rest, exemplifying the functional versatility characteristic of many objects on the scholar's desk. See two related bronze reclining figures, late Ming/early Qing dynasty, illustrated by Sydney L.Moss Ltd., The Second Bronze Age: Later Chinese Metalwork, London, 1991, pls.30-31.

See a related bronze Budai figure, 18th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 14 May 2009, lot 154.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

A rare Chinese group of the Tyrolean Dancers, Qianlong period, circa 1752
FOUR CHINESE YIXING WARES Late Qing dynasty - 20th century
FIVE BURMESE AND THAI GILTWOOD FIGURES OF BUDDHA Late 19th/20th century
TWO JAPANESE CELADON GLAZED STUDIO CERAMICS
Huang Shanshou (1855-1919) Dragons in Clouds
Birodo Yuzen Meiji era (1868-1912)
TWO JAPANESE BRONZE SCHOLAR'S OBJECTS Meiji/Taisho era
A KOREAN UNDERGLAZE-BLUE AND COPPER-RED-DECORATED 'GRAPEVINE' GLOBULAR JAR Late Joseon dynasty
A JAPANESE SIX-PANEL 'FARM SCENE' FOLDING SCREEN Late 19th/early 20th century
A KOREAN FOUR-PANEL 'PEONIES AND CALLIGRAPHY' FOLDING SCREEN Late Joseon dynasty
AN INSIDE-PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL 'LADIES' SNUFF BOTTLE, SIGNED YE ZHONGSAN 1919
A CHINESE YELLOW GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE 19th century
A FAMILLE-ROSE ENAMELED PORCELAIN COVERED BALUSTER JAR 18th/19th century
A PAINTED LACQUERED-WOOD FOUR-DOOR CABINET Early 20th century