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A Swiss man has sold an elaborate Virgin Mary tattoo on his back to a German collector, with the understanding it can be exhibited three times yearly, a Zurich gallery says.

The extraordinary transaction — which gallery owner Jutta Nexdorf claims is the first of its kind — fetched 150,000 euros (A$257,000), with the other main stipulation being that the 35-hour work can be removed from the bearer’s skin upon death and handed to its owner.

The owner will also be allowed to sell the tattoo, created by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye and notable for depicting the mother of Jesus with a lifeless skull.

Proceeds from the sale are being shared among the gallery, tattoo bearer Tim Steiner and Delvoye, Nexdorf told AFP.

The tattoo will go on show for the first time next week in Singapore and Shanghai.

Conceptual artist Delvoye is famous for his unconventional work, including the tattooing of live pigs.

He chose to feature a number of inked pigs, which are tattooed under anesthesia, in a 2005 Chinese display due to the country’s relaxed animal welfare laws.