Mingqi, also known as “burial furniture” and “spirit objects,” translates as “items for the next world” or “spiritual utensils ” and is Chinese term for objects made specifically for burial purposes mingqi Mingqi are miniature earthenware models of items used in everyday life – that were made specifically for placement in tombs of wealthy Chinese upper class to make sure in their afterlife that they were surrounded in the enhanced environment they enjoyed in their life on earth. Chinese strict belief in 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 furnishing, utensils, offerings, livestock, buildings, tools, weapons, servants, animals, mystical beings, dancers and warriors and a huge variety of other everyday items. This practice existed for nearly two millennia but became too costly for most as the rich sought recognition by publicly displaying their wealth, power, social rank and filial piety for ancestors by the amount and quality of mingqi they provided. After spending fortunes to finance burials and contrary to existing laws to limit ostentatious spending and reduce families’ burden, ceramics used for burials were gradually replaced by the end of the Ming Dynasty by paper effigies and other flammable objects burned at funerals. The Song brick tiles used for funerary purposes are also considered mingqi.
Showing all 8 results
Used for rituals and ceremonies, lead green glazed earthenware wing cups were popular burial objects. The tomb’s humidity caused the lead to oxidize to a lustrous, prized iridescent, silver-green.
This diminutive mingqi pig is totally charming and fanciful with an iridescent glaze and would be especially appealing as a send off for the deceased to the nether world or in a contemporary setting. Pigs were especially prized and images were often included as items the deceased would need to live comfortably in the after life.
In China a set of earthenware Zodiac attendant figures was made as a 12 piece grouping, with each figure holding a small calendar animal with each year represented by a different animal – rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig or boar – in a repeating 12-year cycle. Although…
Horseshoe chairs were considered a sign of rank used by officials and often ancestral figures were portrayed sitting in them to reflect their high status. This well-modeled green glaze ceramic mingqi of a horseshoe chair is decorated with a yellow glaze imitating caning and the decorative carved circular design on the splat. It pairs perfectly with Ming Dynasty Earthenware Horseshoe Chair 3330 and together would add to a fine collection of miniature Chinese ceramics.
Horseshoe chairs were considered a sign of rank used by officials and often ancestral figures were portrayed sitting in them to reflect their high status. This well-modeled green glaze ceramic mingqi of a horseshoe chair is decorated with a yellow glaze imitating caning and the decorative carved circular design on the splat. It pairs well with item Ming Earthenware Horseshoe Chair 3331. This would be a fine addition to a collection of antique ceramics or simply a beautiful decorative piece to brighten a small space.
Families placed cocoon jars with auspicious designs containing magical mixtures of mulberry leaves in tombs for souls of the departed to drink for a transformative afterlife. Ovoid shaped, it rests on a trumpet-shaped foot decorated with elegant cloud scrolls and circular “eye” motifs.
This earthenware brick tile bordered with a deep scalloped frame depicts a vase with a bouquet of propitious flowers: a chrysanthemum and a peony wrapped with an elegant ribbon. Tiles like this were made to decorate the large numbers of buildings created during the prosperous Song dynasty and to adorn tombs. This elegant brick is in good condition for its age with expected chips and cracks, some restoration of background and a re-glued frame break on each side. It has earth adherents from its burial in a tomb.
The Song dynasty (960–1279) is considered the most culturally brilliant era in later imperial Chinese history. A massive expansion during this dynasty produced government, public and religious buildings and tombs with walls decorated with earthenware unglazed mold-made brick tiles. Some were purely decorative and others were wishes for happiness and comfort in the deceased’s afterlife…
End of content
End of content