蟠螭紋鑑Jian Basin with Coiled Chi-Dragon Pattern

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The Jian Basin with Coiled Chi-Dragon Pattern (R020022) was discovered as a perfect pair with R18525 from Tomb 60, Liulige, Hui County, Henan Province. Both Jian Basins were chosen as national treasures due to their exceptional representation of the massive bronze basins from the Spring and Autumn period. Initially, bronze vessels of the Jian type emerged during the same era. These basins served multiple purposes beyond rituals, such as a grooming washbasin, an ice cube container, and a water holder for creating reflections before the invention of bronze mirrors. Normally, Jian Basins used to hold ice cubes and cool down food are square in shape; however, this particular vessel shows apparent water marks on its inside surface, indicating it was likely used to hold liquid. The accompanying vessels, pan, he, lei, pen, and zhou, all used for grooming purposes, strongly suggest that this Jian Basin was primarily a washbasin.