Yi water vessel, Late Western Zhou dynasty, 8th century BCE. Bronze, 16 × 30.2 × 14.3 cm, 1.9 kg. Bequest of Alfred F. Pillsbury, 50.46.44 © 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.