Featured Ceramic Chinese Princeling, Diety w/2 Lambs? Modern, or Ancient?

He's slip-cast, ~14" high; the base is ~9 1/4" X ~8". Weight is 14 3/4 ounces.

I've had him 35 years, from a "junque" store in Susanville, California. The seller was emphatic that our resplendent fellow was a "Japan Shotgun"! I failed to disabuse her...he cost me under $10.

But my ignorance about what, or whom, he may be or represent is no less that when I brought him home...promptly into a storage trunk, where he remained until this day.

Is the mark a reproduction of something much older? Have he an' his livestock any special significance? I was (an' still am) by the difference in modeling quality between his hands...an' those 2 lambs. There's a message there, but I'll leave that to y'all.

My gratitude is loaded, ready to enhance your otherwise well-deserved laurels upon the slightest illumination of his lamb-loving Benevolence. Thanks for lookin'!

 

He may be a representation of this chap Whit ( and could the 'sheep' at his feet could also be rams or goats ?)-
Chinese God of Wealth (Cai Shen) or 'Shennong, the Divine Farmer'
...or quite easily-neither !

• Hand Raised in Blessing: Figures with a raised hand in a gesture of blessing or reassurance are common in Buddhist and folk traditions. In Buddhism, this gesture (Abhaya Mudra) is often associated with the Buddha or Bodhisattvas like Guanyin.
• Two Rams at his Feet: The ram is a significant symbol in Chinese culture, representing luck and auspiciousness. The word for ram or sheep in Chinese (Yang 羊) is pronounced similarly to the word for "auspiciousness" (Xiang 祥). Depicting rams at the feet of a deity could signify the bestowal of good fortune and prosperity.
• Connecting the Two: While individual elements might apply to other figures, the combination of a figure with a raised hand in blessing and rams at their feet strongly suggests a connection to wealth and good fortune, making the God of Wealth (Cai Shen) the most probable candidate in Chinese mythology."
• PS-By the way,nice piece ! Should've been buying lots more stuff back then.

 

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/chinese-ceramic-figures-76-c-d01425a90b

 

It was probably fairly new when you bought it 35 years ago. That said, this type of ware is always nicely made.

 

So...I'm getting silence on the mark.
Because it cannot be read...or because it is obviously fraudulent...or?

 

First, Yes! to the rams or goats...not well-enough defined to say for sure.
You done good, Bosko, with your pertinent-point breakdown. I'm assured the figure represents CaiShen. Thanks!

 

Ditto.

 

This is a statue of the Taoist deity Wong Tai Sin. The best clue is the pair of sheep at his feet, as he was a shepherd earlier in his life. His identity is confirmed by the red seal, which states his name rather than the name of the maker. In the seal he is referred to as "Red Pine Wong Tai Sin 赤松黃大仙." This common way of referring to him has to do with the fact that he practiced Taoism in a place called Red Pine Mountain. Wong Tai Sin is extremely popular in Hong Kong, where many people crowd into his temple to light incense at the beginning of the Lunar New Year. To learn more about Wong Tai Sin and devotion to him in Hong Kong, you may go here: https://www.localiiz.com/post/culture-local-stories-chinese-mythology-101-wong-tai-sin. I'm guessing this statue was made for use in a home shrine, as images of him would generally not be considered decorative items.

 

My sincere gratitude, @gckimm!
Thank you for the history lesson, the excellent link, an' for your spot-on illumination of the seal; a real service!