Main Menu

Model of a Farmhouse

Skip to main content
Collections Menu

Model of a Farmhouse

Place of OriginChina
DateEastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE)
DimensionsBase, c. 7 1/2 x 8 in.; H: 7 1/2 in.
MediumEarthenware
ClassificationSculpture
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1950.326
Not on View
Label TextThis miniature farmhouse is a mingqi, translated as "funerary objects" or "spirit utensils." The enclosed courtyard contains a feeding trough for animals. Earthenware mingqi were found in tombs across a broad social stratum in the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). This illustrates the rise of a bureaucratic class. Also, significant changes occurred in Chinese ideologies of funerary practices at that time. Unlike in the Shang or Zhou dynasties where ritual objects (such as bronze vessels) were dedicated to ancestors, mingqi in the Han Dynasty were believed to comfort and satisfy the soul in the afterlife. This may explain why replicas of farmhouses, animal pens, and watchtowers were produced for burial—they provided models of the deceased’s material possessions and occupation. These architectural structures serve as a record of rustic buildings and preserve a vivid picture of rural activities in ancient China.

Membership

Become a TMA member today

Support TMA

Help support the TMA mission