A dense ceramic is employed in making this high-quality Happy Buddha statue. Looks and feel like bronze metal, the statues measures 20 inches high and 12 inches wide. The image of the Laughing Buddha is based on a wandering Chinese monk, Budai (Hotei, in Japanese) who lived centuries ago and is believed to be Maitreya, or the Buddha to come. The statue's plump figure and benign countenance suggest contentment, magnanimity and plenitude.