Yi (vessel)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/20090822_Shanghai_Museum_3256.jpg/220px-20090822_Shanghai_Museum_3256.jpg)
An yi in the collections of the Shanghai Museum.
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Chinese | 匜 | ||||||||||||
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A yi is a shape used in ancient Chinese ritual bronzes. It has the shape of half a gourd with a handle (often in the shape of a dragon) and usually supported by four legs. It is believed it was used to contain water for washing hands before rituals like sacrifices.
References[]
External links[]
- The great bronze age of China: an exhibition from the People's Republic of China, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on yi
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yi. |
Categories:
- Chinese bronzeware
- China stubs