This model of a well has a well-head with two projections, which are possibly dragon-headed gargoyles. A square-frame with a tiled roof acts as support for a pulley. The frame is decorated with a green glaze. It is 'mingqi' or burial ware that would have been part of a larger group of funerary items interred in the grave of a member of the ruling elite.The practice of using lead-glazed burial wares had already started during the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). The glaze tradition continued into the Ming period.The custom was an ancient one. It is thought these wares were necessary for the deceased in the next world. Elaborate groups of burial wares were also a display of wealth and social status.
