Ming Dynasty Sancai-Glazed Miniature Offering Vases

Ming Dynasty, c. 1550–1644 AD, China

A superb matched pair of miniature sancai-glazed vases, crafted as mingqi—“spirit objects”—to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. Each vase is finely modeled with a waisted neck rising to a foliate-shaped rim adorned with five small pellets, flanked by double ring handles, and a compact inverted pear-shaped body set on a tall conical foot. The rich amber and green sancai glaze stops just above the unglazed base, accentuating the elegant form and masterful craftsmanship.

The sancai (“three-color”) palette, perfected during the Tang Dynasty and revived in the Ming, was designed to evoke the beauty of precious materials such as jade, bronze, and imported glass. Applied in a lead-based, low-fired glaze, these tones flow and pool across the surface, giving the vessels a luminous, almost ethereal quality. Though too small for practical use, their symbolic purpose was profound—serving as ritual offerings that reflected the wealth, status, and cultural ideals of the tomb’s occupant.

The tradition of mingqi dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) and endured through the Tang and Song before achieving renewed prominence in the Ming. These funerary objects could take the form of attendants, animals, furniture, and vessels, replicating the luxuries of earthly life to ensure comfort and order in the afterlife. The quantity and refinement of mingqi placed in a tomb were directly tied to social rank, making elaborately glazed examples like these rare and significant.

Beautifully preserved, with vivid glaze and elegant form, this pair stands as a testament to the aesthetic refinement and spiritual beliefs of late imperial China. An exceptional addition for collectors of Chinese antiquities, funerary art, or Ming Dynasty ceramics.

Excellent condition. Intact. Age-related wear and abrasion. Glazing defects and firing flaws. Size approx. 12,5cm x 5,5cm x 4,4cm & 12,6cm x 5,4cm x 4,4cm. Sell as a pair.

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.

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

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

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)