Miniature Celestial Altar

This miniature ceramic altar table is a form of mingqi, burial offerings to ensure the pleasures of daily life even in the afterlife. Mingqi often take the shape of servants, dancers, musicians, concubines, horses, and furniture. This petite mingqi depicts a celestial altar table, which may once have been set with offerings of fruit, incense, and scrolls. This curious example could have provided a means to honor ancestors. Note how the artist paid attention to the offering table's design, shaping it with inset legs and stepped spandrels, in line with traditional Chinese furniture.