Ming Dynasty Pottery Miniature Food Offering

Ming Dynasty, c. 1550–1644, China

A charming and finely modelled miniature pottery food offering in the form of four fruits, created as a mingqi (spirit object) to accompany the deceased on their journey into the afterlife. Carefully shaped and decorated with an attractive combination of moss-green lead glaze and red pigment, this delightful funerary model belongs to the enduring Chinese tradition of placing miniature representations of food and everyday necessities within tombs, providing symbolic nourishment, abundance, comfort, and prosperity in the world beyond.

The production of mingqi during the Ming dynasty continued a funerary practice that had developed over many centuries, with traditions extending back to the Han dynasty and earlier periods. Miniature representations of food, vessels, animals, servants, and household furnishings were placed within tombs to recreate important aspects of earthly life. These objects were intended to ensure that the deceased could maintain their accustomed comforts, social position, and material well-being after death.

Food was an especially meaningful category of mingqi, representing nourishment, prosperity, abundance, and the continuation of well-being. Fruits, in particular, were frequently chosen as subjects because of their auspicious associations with fertility, longevity, abundance, and good fortune. Such miniature offerings therefore served both a practical symbolic purpose and a deeper spiritual function, reflecting the belief that the needs and comforts of earthly existence continued to have significance in the afterlife.

With its attractive modelling, appealing moss-green glaze accented by red pigment, and auspicious subject matter, this miniature fruit offering is a fine example of Ming dynasty funerary pottery. Both visually appealing and rich in cultural symbolism, it reflects the sophisticated artistic traditions and enduring spiritual beliefs of imperial China, offering a fascinating tangible connection to the funerary customs and material culture of the period.

Good condition. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, nicks and chip, with fading to some finer features, and light encrustations within recessed areas. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Glazing defects and firing flaws. Size approx. 5,7cm x 5,8cm x 4,6cm. 

Provenance: British private collection

References and further reading:

The Matter of Tang Tomb Figures; A New Perspective on a Group of Terracotta Animals and Riders, Lucien Van Valen & Isabelle Garachon, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin, Volume 62. pp. 218-239, 2014.

Dream of Ideal Life in Ancient China: Ceramic Miniatures of Architectures, Household Goods, People and Animals, Aichi.ken Toji Shiryokan, Seto, 2005, no. 14, p. 34.

Antecedents of Sui-Tang Burial Practices in Shaanxi, Mary Fong, Artibus Asiae 51, no:s. 3–4 (1991), pp. 147–98.

Mingqi - Items for the next world, Jan-Erik Nilsson, Gotheborg.com (https://gotheborg.com/glossary/mingqi.shtml)

Immortality of the Spirit: Chinese Funerary Art from the Han and Tang Dynasties Exhibition Catalogue, Jill J. Deupi, Ive Covaci & Leopold Swergold, Immortality of the Spirit - Ephemera. 1, Fairfield University, 2012. (https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/immortality_ephemera/1)

The Vibrant Role of Mingqi in Early Chinese Burials, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Heather Colburn Clydesdale, Independent Scholar, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 2009. (www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mgqi/hd_mgqi.htm)