Pair of Mingqi Celestial Attendants

This remarkable pair of attendant figures came to us from a Chicago-area collector devoted to mingqi. Depicting the pleasures of daily life, these ceramic figures were offerings to ensure special treatment in the afterlife. Coated with green, amber, and cream-colored glazes, these ceramic figures were ornamented in the sancai, or three-color, manner, dating them as early as the Tang dynasty (618–907). Oxidation of the pigments over the centuries has lent a unique effect to the once-vibrant glazes, creating contrast between a matte texture and glossy highlights.