An inscribed sandstone stele of a seated Buddha, Northern Qi dynasty, dated to the second year of the Wuping period (in accordance with 571) | 北齊武平二年（571年） 砂岩雕刻銘佛坐像

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd April 2019, lot 3119.

Matsubara Saburō, Zōtei chūgoku bukkyō chōkokushi kenkyū: toku ni kondōbutsu oyobi sekkutsu zōzō igai no sekibutsu ni tsuite no ronkō/Chinese Buddhist sculpture: a study based on bronze and stone statutes other than works from cave temples, Tokyo, 1966, pl. 165b.

Matsubara Saburō, Chūgoku bukkyō chōkokushiron/History of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture, vol. II, Tokyo, 1995, pl. 469b.

Carved with Buddha seated in dhyana mudra atop a plinth, the stele also bears a dedicatory inscription dated to the second year of the Wuping period (571).

Although the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) was short-lived, it witnessed remarkable developments in the production of Buddhist imagery. The Xianbei-ruled Northern Qi court drew artistic inspiration from the Gupta dynasty of India (c. 319-550), resulting in an aesthetic shift towards fuller, more rounded forms, also seen in the depiction of thin garments accentuating the bodily contours of the figures.

Two closely related examples with similar facial features and robe treatment are illustrated in Matsubara Saburo, Chūgoku Bukkyō Chōkoku Shiron [Historical Studies of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture], Tokyo, 1995, vol. 2, pls 443c and 384b respectively, the latter illustrated also in Chūgoku Bukkyō Chōkoku Shi Kenkyū [Research on the History of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture], Tokyo, 1966, pl. 153b, and later sold in these rooms, from the collection of Sakamoto Gorō, 7th October 2013, lot 121.

銘文

齊武平二年八月九日清信士李崇礼敬造石像一傴上為父母兄弟姊妹生生世世值佛聞法俱時成佛

來源

香港蘇富比2019年4月2日，編號3119

出版

松原三郎，《増訂中国仏教彫刻史研究：特に金銅仏及び石窟造像以外の石仏についての論考》，東京，1966年，圖版165b

松原三郎，《中国仏教彫刻史論》，圖版編二，東京，1995年，圖版469b

此尊坐佛面容圓滿，閉目含笑，身依舟形背光，於方台上結跏趺坐，偏袒右肩，施禪定印。底設長方基座，基座正面及一側刻銘，共四十一字，記供養人李崇礼為親眷發願。

北齊（550-577年）國祚雖短，造像藝術卻見長足發展。北齊皇室為鮮卑化漢人，推崇胡俗，故向印度笈多王朝（約319-550年）借鑑風格，改北魏（386-534年）所開「秀骨」之風為豐腴之美，衣紋樣式亦從褒衣博帶轉向薄衣貼體。

松原三郎錄得兩尊，佛衣相近，開臉類同，其一，見《中国仏敎彫刻史論》，東京，1995年，圖版編二，圖版443c；其二兩度見載，一見《中国仏敎彫刻史研究》，東京，1966年，圖版153b，再見前述出處，圖版384b，為坂本五郎舊藏，售於香港蘇富比2013年10月7日，編號121。