Dr. Chuimei Ho (adjunct curator in the Anthropology Department at the Field Museum and co-founder of the Chinatown Museum Foundation) visited the CU Art Galleries on Feb. 18, 2000 and suspected this piece could be forged because religious statues were rarely/never buried since they were too important. This piece has clay residue on its surface and inside as if someone were trying to make it look recently dug up. - BRS, 3/16/16