Late 19th-early 20th Century
This is an old elephant ivory carving of the Happy Buddha. He is depicted with a smiling countenance, showing dimples. He is finely carved with a set of well-defined eyes and teeth and has the elongated ears of the Buddha signifying his wisdom. He wears a long bead necklace and holds in his right hand a scrolled book that holds the Dharma, his teaching. The figure shows the soft yellow patina of old elephant ivory. He sits on a footed rosewood stand.
Estimates for such old ivory figures has been shown to be quite high in auction house catalogs as elephant ivory is banned from selling in public unless it is at least 100 years old, as this one is.