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Hotei of Good Health

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$141.90

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This very fine hand-carved Hotei of alabaster stone is the picture of exhuberant good health. His arms are raised high above his head; each hand holds a legendary Peach of Immortality. Looped around the thumb of his left hand is fly-whisk, a sign of leadership and long life which is carried by Buddhist priests as a symbol of their religious functions and to wave away the flies which, according to the tenets of their creed, they may not kill. A rosary is draped around Hotei's neck, highlighted by a lingzhi, the fabeled "fungus of immortality." (This corresponds to the plant Polyporus lucidus, a woody fungus usually dark in color with a lacquer-like sheen.) This lingzhi motif is found in every medium of Chinese art, and is a wish-fulfilling as well as a longevity symbol. Hotei's robe is meticulously etched in subdued colors with floral designs and various long-life, happiness and knot patterns, the latter representing prosperity. (7-1/2" high x 3" wide x 2-1/2" deep)