A LIMESTONE TORSO OF BUDDHA, NORTHERN QI DYNASTY China, 550-577. Finely carved standing with the right hand raised and the left arm lowered along the side of the body, wearing a diaphanous robe delicately carved with drapes falling fluently following the contours of the body.

Provenance: From the Roger Moss Collection. Roger Moss, OBE (1936-2020) grew up in Yorkshire and was a lifelong collector of art, best known for his collection of Chinese sculpture dating to the Tang dynasty and earlier. He was a Finance Director at British Airways when the Concorde was launched, then became the CFO of MTR in Hong Kong. During this time he also served as the president of the Oriental Ceramic Society.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, signs of weathering and erosion, nicks and scratches, few structural cracks, encrustations.

Dimensions: Height 71 cm (excl. stand) and 78.5 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on an associated stand. (2)

Expert’s note: The sensitivity of carving, the soft garments closely clinging to the body, the crisp treatment of the gracefully draped folds clearly relate this figure to the Northern Qi period.

Literature comparison: Compare a closely related example illustrated in The Art of Contemplation, Religious Sculpture from Private Collection, National Palace Museum, Taipei 1997, pl. 27. See also the two figures of similar sizes illustrated in Ancient Chinese Sculpture II, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan 2000, pl. 20 and 21.

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related limestone torso of Buddha, 101 cm high, also dated to the Northern Qi dynasty, at Christie’s London, 12 September 2007, lot 164, sold for GBP 24,500.

北齊石灰石立佛殘件
中國，550-577年。立佛右臂舉起，左臂低垂，低開領的通肩袈裟，袈裟顯得輕薄而貼身，順著身體結構起伏，雙腿輪廓隱約可見。

來源：Roger Moss收藏。C. Roger Moss, OBE (1936-2020) 成長於約克郡，一生都在收藏藝術，以收藏唐代及更早時期的中國雕塑而聞名。協和式飛機推出時，他是英國航空公司的財務總監，然後成為香港地鐵的首席財務官。在此期間，他還擔任過東方陶瓷學會會長。
品相：狀況良好，與年齡相稱。廣泛的磨損、缺損、風化和侵蝕，有刻痕和劃痕，少量結構裂縫、結殼。

尺寸：高71 厘米（不含底座），總78.5 厘米

安裝在支架上。(2)

專家注釋：這種“薄衣貼體”的造像風格，展現了印度笈多藝術在中國的流傳影響，是北齊造像的一大特色。

文獻比較: 比較一件相近的造像可見The Art of Contemplation, Religious Sculpture from Private Collection, 臺北故宮博物院，臺北1997, 圖 27；兩外兩件造像，相近尺寸，來自Ching-Ya T'ang 與 Shih-yu Shan-fang收藏，見Ancient Chinese Sculpture II, 高雄市立美術館, 台灣2000, 圖20 與21。

拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的北齊石灰石佛陀身軀，高101 厘米，見倫敦佳士得2007年9月12日 lot 164, 售價GBP 24,500。