Luohan, British Museum

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This figure was made in the Liao dynasty, following the sculptural traditions developed in the Tang dynasty. It was found with seven others, in a cave in Yi county, Hebai province, northern China, All but one are now in Western museums. The figure is glazed in colours of the sancai (three colours) palette of the Tang dynasty. The banding on th yellow robe represents thepatchwork worn by monks as a sign of humility. Special thanks to Henry for his support with collecting and helping to preserve the Luohan buddhas. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.