Minneapolis Institute of Art

Yi water vessel

China

Date

8th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Before conducting a ritual activity or sitting down to a ceremonial feast, nobility would wash their hands with water from a yi like this one, often paired with pan basins. In the Warring States period (c. 475–221 bce), yi evolved from a footed vessel with rich decoration and an animal-mask handle—as in this example—to a simple flat-bottomed vessel with restrained decoration and a ring handle. The charming features of this vessel include the handle with a horned dragon head and the legs in the seahorse-like form of a dragon. China, Asia

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