This green-glazed tower with a basin-like moat would have been part of a group of pottery tomb figures made for the ruling elite to provide for their afterlife. An assortment of animals can be found inside the basin and around the rim. Human figures who crowd the tower balcony include dancers, musicians and guards with crossbows. The tower's ridged roof and projecting balcony are supported by a complex structural system of cross-struts and bracketing.The practice of using lead-glazed burial wares had already started during the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) and it continued into the Ming period. The custom of making 'mingqi' or burial wares was an ancient practice. Elaborate groups of burial wares were also a display of wealth and social status.
