Handcrafted Andesite Laughing Buddha Statue – Meditation, 3ft

Budai, not Gautama — the Laughing Buddha in andesite

This is the Laughing Buddha — Budai, the wandering monk of Chinese tradition, not Gautama — seated in a settled meditation pose rather than the usual raised-arm celebration. The rounded belly, the broad smile and the easy posture are all there, but the stillness gives the figure a quieter register than the standing forms usually carry.

The stone is Indonesian lava stone, an andesite: dark charcoal, vein-free, with the fine open micropores that come from volcanic origin. It is a genuinely different material from marble to look at — matte by nature, never glossy, and it reads as weathered from the first day rather than acquiring that character over time. The surface is left with its natural grain so the chisel lines around the robe and the contours of the face stay crisp against the dark tone.

A 3ft Laughing Buddha outdoors, and commissioning yours

At 36 inches it is sized for outdoors, and andesite is among the more forgiving stones for it: being vein-free, it has no natural planes to open up through a monsoon and a dry summer. It suits a garden shrine, a courtyard corner, or a planted alcove beside a path. Dark stone against green foliage holds its edge in a way pale stone does not, which is worth considering if the piece will sit among heavy planting.

Every piece is made to order. This one is carved for you by the master sculptors we work with in Jaipur — we develop the design with you, brief the sculptor, and follow it through to delivery at your door. The same seated Budai is regularly ordered between about 18 inches and four feet, and in black stone or white marble if the setting calls for it. Tell us where it will sit and we will quote it.