The sides of the vessel horizontally grooved below a band of dissolved taotie centered on a simplified mask on two sides, the ring foot cast with a band of hooked diagonals and raised on three faceted legs surmounted by animal masks, with a pair of C-shaped handles cast in intaglio with scrolls issuing from tusked masks with scrolled snouts, the pendent tabs at the bottom also cast in intaglio with hooks, the matching cover with a short cylindrical handle above grooved bands and a band of inverted taotie masks, the vessel cast with different lengthy dedicatory inscriptions, with mottled pale grey and green patina. Includes Technical Examination Report by PIETER MEYERS for authenticity.|Late Western Zhou Dynasty.|Christie's New York, March 18th 2009, lot 216.Western Zhou Bronze from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, ISBN 978-0810939875, page 308.|Height: 12 in (30.5 cm) Diameter: 12 1/4 in (31.1 cm) Weight: 4170.0g|西周青銅鼎|鼎是我國青銅文化的代表，鼎在古代被視為立國重器，是國家和權力的象徵。直到現在，中國人仍然有一種鼎崇拜的意識。“鼎”也被賦予了尊貴、“盛大”等引申意義。|此件西周時期鼎為直耳，半球腹，足為獸蹄形，矮短而莊重有力，鼎的口沿還裝飾有環帶狀的重環紋。整個造型渾厚凝重，飾紋簡潔古雅樸素，具有濃厚的生活氣息，是西周晚期的鼎由宗教轉向世俗生活的代表作品。|鼎內刻有9行8列銘文，內容為：唯王九月丁亥，王客（格）於般宮，丼白內右（邢伯入佑）利，立中廷，北鄉（向），王乎乍（呼作）命內史冊命利，曰：易女（錫汝）赤巿、（鑾）旂，用事，利（拜稽）首，對（揚）天子不（丕）皇休，用乍（作朕文）考白（漣伯尊）鼎，利（其）萬年子孫永寶用。|此鼎沉雄厚實，鑄工精湛，歷史悠久，保存完整，實為難得，為青銅收藏上上品。|來源：紐約佳士得，2009年3月18日拍賣，拍品216，Arthur M. Sackler 收藏。