Vintage ‘Laughing Buddha’ Feng Shui Statuettes (Set of 3)

The ‘Laughing Buddha’ was a jolly, humorous, eccentric Chan Buddhist monk in the 10th century, renowned for wandering aimlessly with a sack of either his few personal belongings or candies for children.  According to Wikipedia, his name was Qieci, but he is often referred to as Budai (which literally means cloth sack), Hotei or Hotai. According to the legend, when he died, he claimed to be an incarnation of the future Buddha.
 
He is usually pictured overweight, bald, in a simple robe, laughing, with a huge belly, the laughter showing one can be happy without many worldly things and the belly representing wealth and prosperity (as if these two concepts are not contradictory, if we may editorialize). In two of these statuettes, he is holding gold ingots. In the other, prayer beads. Feng shui experts recommend placing these in the east or south east of the house for family luck and financial stability.
 
We believe our grandmother inherited this set from the Burr sisters who visited China in the 1920s and 1930s. We believe they are brass metal cast, but could be wrong - under the light, they appear a dark silver color, maybe iron, and in the shadows they have a brassy gleam. They are in very good condition although tarnished, and one has some white paint inside the hollowed base as visible in photos.
 
Monk with gold ingot above head: H 2” x L 1 1/4” x D 1”, 2.61 oz (74g)
Monk holding up an gold ingot with one arm: H 1 3/4” x L 1 7/8” x D 1 1/8”, 3.03oz (86g)
Monk with prayer beads: H 1 5/8” x L 1 1/2” x D 1 1/8”, 2.65 oz (75g)
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.