This
large Mei Li is infused with irrepressible merriment. Bold, sure carving animates
the face, lighting up the eyes and lips with infectious laughter. The Buddha holds
a pomegranate branch in his left hand. The pomegranate is a Buddhist sign, the
fruit representing the essence of the favorable influence existing in the pomegranate
tree, a twig of which is sometimes used for sprinkling water. This would symbolize
the hope of the family for numerous offspring behaving in a virtuous and filial
manner, and rising to fame and glory, though the boys climbing on this laughing
Buddha may be more interested in simple fun. In his right hand the Buddha holds
a peach, the symbol of longevity, which is also held aloft by one of the boys
on his shoulders. The boy on his right shoulder holds a bell called a To, which
symbolizes respect and veneration. A large and robust ivory, carved from a fine
tusk with markings and striations of a medium gold tone over the entire surface.
