Ming Dynasty Pottery Miniature Food Offering Plate

Ming Dynasty, c. 1550–1644, China

A superb sancai-glazed miniature model of a food offering plate, created as a funerary object intended to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. The plate is covered in a rich dark moss-green glaze and features a finely modelled recumbent bird at its centre, possibly a mandarin duck. The bird is depicted with an elaborate crest, rounded beak, and carefully rendered open wings, its body enhanced with a delicate light greenish-blue glaze that contrasts beautifully with the darker surface of the plate.

The piece is further enriched by the characteristic lustrous sancai glazing associated with Ming dynasty funerary pottery, combining vivid green and yellow tones with areas of cream and amber. This distinctive technique employed lead-based glazes to create richly coloured surfaces, often imitating the appearance of precious materials such as jade and bronze. The carefully applied glaze not only enhances the decorative qualities of the miniature but also demonstrates the technical sophistication achieved by Ming ceramic craftsmen.

During the Ming dynasty, the production of mingqi (spirit goods) continued and flourished as part of a funerary tradition that had originated during the Han dynasty and developed over many centuries. Miniature representations of food, vessels, animals, servants, and household objects were placed within tombs to recreate aspects of earthly life, providing the deceased with comfort, sustenance, and continued social status in the afterlife. The quantity, quality, and variety of such objects could also reflect the wealth and rank of the individual.

The bird at the centre of this offering plate adds an additional layer of visual and symbolic interest, transforming an otherwise functional food offering into a charming sculptural composition. Birds held a prominent place in Chinese decorative art and could carry associations with prosperity, harmony, longevity, and the celestial realm.

A particularly appealing example of Ming funerary pottery, this miniature offering plate combines elegant modelling, striking sancai glazing, and rich symbolic significance. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the artistic refinement, burial customs, and spiritual beliefs of Ming dynasty China.

Good condition. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, nicks and chip. Glazing defects and firing flaws. Size approx. 5,0cm x 4,9cm x 2,9cm. 

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)