Jin Hou Pi Pot

Western Zhou bronze ware
68.8 cm high, 35.2 cm wide at the widest part of the belly. Excavated from Tomb No. 8 of the Jinhou Cemetery in Beizhao Village, Quwo County in 1992. Wine vessel, unearthed from the tomb of Jinxianhou. Two pieces in total, basically the same in shape, decoration and inscription. Oval square, with lid. Long neck, elephant-shaped animal head with ring ears, bulging belly, ring foot. The lid is decorated with high relief hollow wave shape, and the lid surface is decorated with intertwined dragons with tongues sticking out; the neck is decorated with animal eyes intertwined pattern, wave pattern and scale pattern in sequence, and the abdomen is decorated with double dragon pattern, the dragon head is high relief, and the ring foot is decorated with animal eyes intertwined pattern. The inscription inside the lid is cast in 4 lines and 26 characters, "On the first day of the ninth month, on the auspicious day of Gengwu, the Jinhou (pí) made a zunhu, which was used to offer sacrifices to the emperor's father, Wenzu, and used as a treasure forever". Jinxianhou " " is the only Jinhou in the cemetery whose name matches the record in "Historical Records: Jin Family".