A mud Buddha from the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126AD). The figure is made of unfired clay that was sundried and finished with layers of lacquer. On some spots traces of gold lacquer are visible. The Buddha most likely stems from Gansu province where along the Silk Road at various places -starting during the Tang period- holy places arose. The Mogao caves in Dunhuang with it’s sculptures and paintings are the most famous example. In the collection of the museum in Lanzhou (Gansu) are mud Buddha’s that are very similar to this one (picture: Gary Todd). They probably stem from a so called “1000 Buddha cave”, a place where travelers and pilgrims would leave such a statue as a votive. In the middle of the statue is an iron clip visible with which it could be fastened to the wall or on a rack. At the back is a cavity to put an offering in. The Buddha shows strong traces of weathering, possibly by the wind, but is despite that a great authentic object from the fascinating history of the Silk Road. Dim.: WxDxH 12x4x21cm.