Food Offering Mingqi Figure

This petite ceramic sculpture is a type of centuries-old burial figurine known as míngqì or "spirit object." Depicting the pleasures of daily life, míngqì figurines ensured comfort and special treatment in the afterlife. Míngqì sculpture takes the form of servants, entertainers, animals furniture, and in this case, food and food offerings.

This tiny sculpture depicts an offering dish piled high with fruit, and provided a means to continue giving offerings to one's ancestors, even in the afterlife. The food offering symbolizes abundance and would have originally been just one part of an entire míngqì altar display. The ceramic sculpture is coated with a light green glaze, now weathered from age and use.