Antique Ming Earthenware Horseshoe Chair, China (3330BOK) $685

Description

This miniature Ming Dynasty earthenware mould made horseshoe chair is an example of mingqi, a Chinese term for an object made specifically for burial purposes. Literally translated as, “items for the next world” or “spiritual utensils” mingqi are miniature models of items used in everyday life like furnishings, utensils, offerings, livestock and buildings, etc. made specifically for placement in tombs of the wealthy Chinese to be sure in their afterlife they were surrounded by the enhanced environment they enjoyed during their life on earth. The Chinese strict belief in the soul’s life after death, filial piety and the survival of the soul of the deceased in the afterlife resulted in funerary practices requiring families to honor the spirit of the dead and provide for the deceased soul’s comfort and happiness with abundant grave goods which would include miniature ceramic renderings of sustenance, tools, weapons, servants, animals, mystical beings, dancers, warriors and a huge variety of other everyday items. This is a simplified but accurate miniature model of a Ming Dynasty horseshoe chair that would have been made of hardwood and constructed with a horseshoe-shaped top rail ending in a curving, fanciful and striking decorative spiral.  The curved splat of the chair might have either carved or pierced motifs or medallions and straight or curved rails joining the legs in pairs at the same height on each side. This piece pairs well with Ming Earthenware Horseshoe Chair 3331.

Sources

Albert E. Dean, “Chinese Beliefs in the After World” in The Quest for Eternity, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1987,

Jan-erik Nilsson, Mingqi-Items for the next world, gotheborg.com/glossary/mingqi.shtml