The incident of a simpleton selling something to an inanimate object and discovering a hidden treasure occurs, in different forms, in the folk-tales of Asiatic as well as European countries.  In a manuscript text of the Arabian Nights, brought from Constantinople by Wortley Montague, and now preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, a more elaborate version of the Italian booby’s adventure with the statue is found, in the “Story of the Bang-eater and his Wife:” 

In former times there lived not far from Baghdad a half-witted fellow, who was much addicted to the use of bang.  Being reduced to poverty, he was obliged to sell his cow, which he took to the market one day, but the animal being in such a poor condition, no one would buy it, and after waiting till he was weary he returned homeward.  On the way he stopped to repose himself under a tree, and tied the cow to one of the branches, while he ate some bread, and drank an infusion of his bang, which he always carried with him.  In a short time it began to operate, so as to bereave him of the little sense he had, and his head was filled with ridiculous reveries.  While he was musing, a bird beginning to chatter from her nest in the tree, he fancied it was a human voice, and that some woman had offered to purchase his cow, upon which he said, “Reverend mother of Solomon,[9] dost thou wish to buy my cow?” The bird again chattered.  “Well,” replied he, “what wilt thou give?  I will sell her a bargain.”  The bird repeated her noise.  “Never mind,” said the fool, “for though thou hast forgotten to bring thy purse, yet, as I daresay thou art an honest woman, and hast bidden me ten dinars, I will trust thee with the cow, and call on Friday for the money.”  The bird renewed her chattering; so, leaving the cow tied to a branch of the tree, he returned home, exulting in the good bargain he had made for the animal.  When he entered the house, his wife inquired what he had got for the cow, and he replied that he had sold her to an honest woman, who had promised to pay him ten pieces of gold next Friday.  The wife was contented; and when Friday arrived, her noodle of a husband having, as usual, taken a dose of bang, repaired to the tree, and hearing the bird chattering as before, said, “Well, good mother, hast thou brought the gold?” The bird croaked.  The blockhead, supposing the imaginary woman refused to pay him, became angry, and threw up a stone, which frightening the bird, it flew from its nest in the tree and alighted on a heap of ruins at some little distance.  He now concluded that the woman had desired him to take his money from the heap, into which he accordingly dug, and found a copper vessel full of coin.  This discovery convinced him he was right, and being withal an honest fellow, he only took ten pieces; then replacing the soil, “May Allah requite thee for thy punctuality, good mother!” he exclaimed, and returned to his wife, to whom he gave the money, informing her at the same time of the great treasure his friend the imaginary old woman possessed, and where it was concealed.