Hotei or Buddha of Happiness. China, Rose Family, mid-20th century

Hotei or Buddha of Happiness. China, Rose Family, mid-20th century.
Enamelled porcelain.
Measurements: 26 x 19,5 x 11 cm.
Enamelled porcelain sculpture representing a smiling Buddha, also called Hotei or Buddha of happiness. Several children climb on his naked belly and tickle him all over his body. Popularly known as the "Fat Buddha", his mythological origin dates back to the time of the Chinese Liang Dynasty. He is believed to have been a Buddhist monk who, due to his benevolent nature, came to be regarded as an incarnation of the bodhisattva Maitreya. The polychromy is part of the Rose Family style, based on the introduction of new glazes, the most famous of which is pink, after which the style is named. Other new colours were also added, such as opaque yellow, white and the now independent black, since until then, in order to fix the black glaze, it had to be covered with a glaze of another colour, usually translucent green.