Featured Asian soapstone - anything?

@terry5732 - You need to go back to see if there was one of those awesome wood platforms.

 

Hi Terry,
Originally I was going with Japanese, but the more I research the more I think it is a Chinese Budai as AJ suggests. I am not finding any examples like yours but found a couple of paintings with similar faces. The first Japanese and the second Chinese.

I am wondering about the wear on the base. The carving seems to fade from one corner or has worn off the base, and I wonder if this could indicate it was carried in a pouch as a devotional piece. Is there any other wear that might suggest this?

Also, I am not sure if this is intentional, but the shape of the base looks like a foot. Perhaps this is a by-product of wear and damage, but a Buddha's footprint is revered and offers great fortune.

 

There is faint decoration beyond what is obvious on the bottom. It does not go all the way though. The center of the bottom has more showing of wear than the rest. It is not perfectly flat and is a little higher in the middle. Wear from carrying should show all around. I see no similar wear look on the sides or edges of the bottom.

It looks to me like the artist chose the raw stone with a vision of the creation beforehand. The orange veins are incorporated into blanket folds and such.

 

Thanks Terry. Sorry I can't add more, but I do hope its worth a small fortune.

 

Not my area of expertise, but this guy really feels like Bodhidharma to me. And Chinese.

While looking, I did find this lovely: https://www.christies.com/lotfinder...eclining-figure-17th18th-5720077-details.aspx (obviously higher quality carving than the OP's, but I do feel the OP's deserves some further research... and a bath. )

 

Wowsers.