Japanese Hand-painted Porcelain Daruma Figure vintage vase The paper shows its age

The paper shows its age (though appears to be in very good condition

hand-painted in underglaze blue with stylised flowerheads at their centers and loop and dot borders

Handmade in Portugal

who was the importer and distributor for these wares in NYC

16 3/4" x 16 1/8" x 2 1/2" deep including nails

Japanese Hand-painted Porcelain Daruma Figure vintage vase The paper shows its ageThis curious character is an antique Japanese porcelain Daruma figure. There are a wide array of Daruma out there, modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, and typically depicted as a red robed bearded man, as he is here. This is about my favorite example of all I've seen, with a wonderfully expressive face, wide nose, and painted eyes directed skyward, plus he has these finely and emphatically painted eyebrows, beard and chest hair.