Infopanel 20

The Buddha bucket 

Origin: Ireland/British Isles workshop tradition (exact region uncertain).  
Dated: 8th Century (Late 700s.)
Manufacture: The bucket is made of yew, with brass fittings and enamel figures.

A wooden bucket of yew bound with brass, its handle mounts decorated with enamelled figures - one famously resembling a seated Buddha. though scholars generally treat this as an Insular art comparison, not proof of Asian origin. Its materials point to the British Isles cultural sphere, then carried into Norway and later placed among the high-status grave goods of the Oseberg ship burial.

Distance:
• Direct: ~915 km (York→Oseberg) or 1,215 km (Dublin→Oseberg)
• Route estimate (North Sea corridor via Danish straits): ~1,019–1,349 km