Jin Hou Pi Gui

Bronze ware from the Western Zhou Dynasty
Total height 38.4 cm, diameter 24.8 cm. Excavated from Jinhou Tomb M8 in Beizhao Village, Quwo County in 1992. The lid is a convex top with a circular handle. The body is open, with a narrow neck, a bulging belly, and a circular foot that is flared outwards, connected to a square base. There are animal heads with drooping ears on both sides, and the ears are thick and imposing. There is a ring at the bottom of the circular foot, which should be used to tie a bell. The lid top, lid edge, neck, belly and circular foot are decorated with a circle of animal eyes, and rough horizontal grooves. The square base is also decorated with animal eyes on three sides of each side, and a cow horn animal face pattern is decorated on each of the four corners of the square base. There are 26 characters in 4 lines cast inside the lid and on the bottom of the vessel: "On the first day of the ninth month, on the auspicious day of Gengwu, the Marquis of Jin made a □ Gui, which was used to offer sacrifices to the Emperor Wenzu, and its ten thousand billion eternal treasures are used". It is recorded that the Marquis of Jin made this Gui to worship his ancestors and father. The content is basically the same as that of the Jinhou pot. Jinhou "pi" is the only Jinxianhou in the tomb whose name matches the one recorded in "Historical Records: Family of Jin".