7-Ox-Decorated Bronze Vessel

Bronze Li Food Vessel Inscribed by Bo Ju with Oxhead Ornaments is a 3,000-year-old Western Zhou bronze food vessel, unearthed in 1975 from Tomb 251 at the Liulihe Site in Fangshan District, Beijing, and now housed in the Capital Museum. It stands 33.0 cm tall, 22.9 cm in diameter, and weighs 7,500 grams. Its design centers on vivid oxhead decorations: the lid knob is formed by two 3D calf heads facing opposite directions; the lid surface has raised oxhead motifs with upward-curving horns; the neck is patterned with six flat-angle thunder patterns; each of the three pouch-shaped feet displays an oxhead (horns protruding above the vessel surface). Made via piece-molding (body cast first, then decorations attached), the details are lifelike. A 15-character inscription appears on both the inner lid and neck wall: it records that Lord Yan granted Bo Ju cowries, so Bo Ju made this vessel to honor his father. As a China-prohibited-outbound artifact, it represents early Western Zhou bronze craftsmanship at its peak, witnessing Beijing’s 3,000-year urban history and ancient noble ritual culture. 伯矩鬲是一件有 3000 年历史的西周青铜食器，1975 年出土于北京市房山区琉璃河遗址 251 号墓，现藏于首都博物馆。伯矩鬲通高 33.0 厘米、口径 22.9 厘米、重 7500 克，以生动的牛首装饰为核心：盖钮由两个相背的立体小牛首组成，盖面饰有角端上翘的浮雕牛首纹，颈部饰六条平角雷纹，三只袋状足各饰牛首纹且牛角上翘高于器表。器物采用分铸法制成，先铸器身再拼接附件，纹饰细节鲜活逼真。盖内与颈部内壁均铸有 15 字铭文，记载了燕侯赏赐伯矩贝币，伯矩因此铸器祭祀父亲的事迹。作为中国禁止出境展览文物，它代表了西周早期青铜工艺的巅峰水平，既见证了北京三千年建城史，也承载着古代贵族的礼仪文化。