A Chinese gilt bronze figure of Budai Ming dynasty, 16th/17th century The smiling figure in rajalilasana with a loosely fitted robe with incised floral decoration, holding a string of prayer beads in his right hand while clutching a cloth bag in his left, seated on a "brocade" cushion. NOTE: The jovial Budai with his bag of abundance has been a popular subject for bronze and gilt-bronze sculptors since the Ming dynasty. For a larger example of this type, dated 1428, from the collection of Stephen Junkunc, III, see Christie's New York, September 13-14, 2018, lot 1134. See also the slightly larger two examples in the Chang Foundation, dated to the 16th/17th century, illustrated in "Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal", Taipei 1993, pp 62-64, nos. 24, 25. H: 7 1/4 in., 18.4cm PROVENANCE: Property from a Pennsylvania private collection.