China of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) achieved a brilliant and prosperous culture that was the envy and model of all its neighbors. At its peak, the Tang empire stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Pacific, from Manchuria and Korea in the north into Vietnam in the south. Within the country, commerce and cultural ideas thrived and spread through trade to Europe and even the court at Byzantium. Tang China was cosmopolitan and tolerant, welcoming new ideas and other religions. Within this environment, literature, painting, and the ceramic arts flourished.

Ming qi, or articles of the spirit, were objects such as vases, jars, ewers and figures specifically created to accompany the deceased on their voyage into the afterlife and often vividly reflected the social and cultural atmosphere of the time. By the Tang Dynasty (618-907), such tomb accoutrements constituted a large part of the ceramics production. The most refined ming qi of this period display the masterful application of sancai, or three-colored, glazes that cover the objects with vibrant shades of green, blue, orange and brown. Whether a brilliantly colored vessel, a gracious court lady or a serene buffalo carrying a sleeping boy on its back, these pieces possess a powerful presence and a timeless appeal.

With its dripped and splashed glaze application, it mimics the style of 'sancai' glazing, the three color process favored by Tang potters. A terra cotta, reddish-brown clay was used for the body and covered first with a white slip, and then a transparent lead glaze. Over this glaze, other colored glazes were splashed and dripped, such as an iron bearing glaze used to create amber colors, copper glaze for green, cobalt for blues, and occasionally, manganese for purples.
 

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