NORTHERN QI-TANG DYNASTY (AD 550-907), 6TH -7TH CENTURY

As with other figures of 6th-early 7th century date, this figure has a slender body, simple robes that drape gracefully around the body, with one end draped over the right shoulder, and a serene, contemplative expression. Compare the similar gilt-bronze figure of Buddha dated Northern Qi, in the Nelson Atkins Museum, illustrated by Matsubara Saburo in Chugoku Bukkyo Chokokushi ron (The Path of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture), vol. 2, Tokyo, 1995, pls. 442 a & b, where one can see in the profile image how the neck inclines forward in the same manner as that of the present figure. Also, like the present figure, the robes drape over the front edge, but the folds are stiffer and vertically oriented, and do not continue around the sides and back. Another similar figure is illustrated in the Eskenazi catalogue, Chinese works of art from the Stoclet collection, Spring 2003, New York, no. 12, where it is dated Sui-early Tang dynasty, 6th-7th century. The robes of the Stoclet figure are similar but do not continue over the edge, as on the present figure. As noted in the catalogue entry, the body and face of figures of this period are not as full as those of the 8th century Tang dynasty figures, and the drapery of the robes is also simpler. All three of these figures exhibit a quiet presence and spirituality.