Q & A

D.L. of Victoria, B.C. writes:

I'd like to know a bit more about this little guy. I inherited him from my Grandparents. About the only thing I really know about it is he is at a minimum 43 years old, and that’s only if he was made the same year I first saw him. I think it’s a Buddha of some form, certainly not the typical type you see, but then what do I know about it? He is about 7.5 inches high and 5.5 inches at the widest point (his tummy). There is a mark on the bottom but for the life of me I cannot make it out nor get a decent photo of it. Hope you can give me some insight. Thanks very much for your time.

We asked Kevin Colgan to respond:

This chubby deity was known as Pu Tai when I wrote auction catalogues in the late 70's. It may now be spelled differently since there is no universally agreed rendering of Chinese sounds into English but you have the general idea. He carries over his shoulder a bag of wind, a fan to revive the dying is in his other hand; sometimes he is shown playing with children hanging on to his shoulders. In a culture where famine was a real possibility it was most acceptable to be fat. It implied prosperity and leisure.

This seems to be pottery rather than porcelain and Japanese-made rather than Chinese-made. The enameled colours and brown and skin tones suggest Satsuma pottery circa 1925. Interesting rather than valuable, but nonetheless worth about $275 for replacement cost.

There is another character Hotei, Japanese god of Wisdom, He is typically shown either seated or standing with joined hands and uplifted arms. He shares with Pu Tai the large and bare stomach that indicates resourcefulness and greatness of soul. The bag of wind seems to me to suggest the Chinese rather than the Japanese deity. Thank you for showing me this.