Laughing Buddha Mark

[wk]

I got this nice Buddha the other day, 9" height x 10" wide, and was wondering about the period, and if anyone can read the mark.
Thank you!

[heavenguy]

is the last characters Jiangxi? There was some person who made this. Mao something but can't remember the name. like in the first quarter of the 20th century.

[wk]

Yes, you're right heavenguy. Thanks!
The photo is upside down. Do you mean Mao Ji Cheng? I found a similar buddha and the stamp is also not very clear, just as this one.

[heavenguy]

Yes that's the one. The only way I remember him it's because I seen a couple of his buddha figurines with the rob with a brick pattern. Also on the bottom, I'm not really sure they have  a rugged kind of like ##### shape because they lay it on top of a piece of fabric. But I think Peterp can explain you better than me. It's a nice find...

[peterp]

Marks with the place name in them are usually later (40s onwards), and the name on them is likely the name of the workshop owner, or it is a factory name.  From the early republic until about mid-century there were two well known shops, one specializing on human figurines (including boddhisattvas, deities, etc.), and another one specialized on animals, birds (incl. phoenix, etc.). Cloth fabric imprinted on the bottom is more likely to be found on these period items. Later items are less likely to show them.

[wk]

Thank you both very much. Knowing things like this always adds dimension.