China's piece-mold process arose independently from the West's lost wax method. The piece-mold method reveals Shang China's very advanced ceramic abilities.

Basic outline of piece-mold casting:

1. A simple clay model (without decoration) of the vessel shape is made and left to dry a bit.
   
2. Clay is then shaped over this model and let to dry to a leather-hard stage.
   
3. The outer layer of clay is then sliced off into sections and decorated by incising designs into the clay.
   
4. Then this carved outer mold is pieced together.
   
5. The original model is used as an interior form to make the vessel hollow. The outer mold is attached to the inner form at a few points.
   
6. The bronze is poured in.
   
7. After cooling, the inner and outer molds are broken away from the vessel.
   
8. Spurs and imperfections are filed away.

The method of casting influenced the appearance of Shang dynasty bronze vessels. Because the artisans worked on one section of the vessel at a time, most Shang bronzes have a "divided up" or architectonic quality to their design.

ORIGIN
Most of the MIA's Shang bronzes probably originated from the site of Anyang, Honan. Anyang is an enormous site that we know from written records (oracle bones) was the last capital of the Shang dynasty. Excavations began there in 1928, were interrupted only by World War II, and continue today. The site is divided into three parts: buildings; workshops, foundries, and kilns; and an immense royal graveyard with enormous tombs. The city was surrounded by the countryside from which the food supply came.

By the 20th century, all of the large royal tombs had been looted, leaving only remnants of the treasure that had been buried. The majority of the vessels taken from these tombs ended up in Western and Japanese collections.

One can guess at how rich these tombs were by the 1975 find of a small unlooted tomb. It belonged to a woman named Fu Hao who was the courtesan and military general for the Shang king Wu Ding. In her tomb were found bronzes, jades, and bone carvings. 750 jades were found in her tomb alone!

In addition to taking worldly goods with them, the Shang also practiced human and animal sacrifice. Remains of humans have been found in foundations of buildings, sacrificial pits, trenches, and in royal tombs. Archaeologists believe that most of the sacrificial victims were prisoners of war. Hundreds of victims were beheaded and put into royal tombs.

Some types of heavy bronze axes are particularly associated with human sacrifice. These axes have been found in the outer trenches of large tombs. The same type of axes are illustrated in inscriptions, where they are poised to decapitate victims.

BRONZE SHAPES
I. Vessels
Most Shang and Chou dynasty bronze vessels appear to be special eating and drinking implements. The vessels are based on Neolithic ceramic prototypes that were used to cook in, eat from, drink or pour water and wine from.

The great majority of Shang bronzes are wine vessels. Later the Shang acquired the reputation for being drunkards. While this might have been true, it is more accurate to say that wine was an important part of Shang ritual ceremonies, as evidenced by the number of wine vessels.

The Western Chou dynasty eliminated the most popular wine vessels of the Shang (the ku and the chueh) and replaced them with an increased repertoire of food and water vessels. Although the Western Chou continued to cast wine vessels, their number and therefore their importance decreased. Two reasons have been put forward for this shift in vessel types. First, the Chou wanted to separate themselves from the disgraced Shang and their behavior. Second, the Chou practiced a very different religion from the Shang and naturally would have different ceremonial needs (see Western Chou file).

A) Size
The bronze vessels in the MIA are somewhat misleading in size. When compared to bronzes in other collections, they are much smaller in size. Some bronze vessels have been discovered that are over 5 feet high and weigh as much as 4 tons!

B) Actual Use
Through scientific excavations we now know that most Chinese bronzes were produced in sets that were probably used in ritual ceremonies before they were buried. Sometimes these sets were split up and handed down as heirlooms. Some burials contain bronzes from a number of different time periods. Certain vessel types were paired with others; for example: the ku (gu) and chueh (jue), and the fang-yi (fang-i) and tsun (zun). Although some excavated vessels have remnants of food in them, almost all were used ritually. They were too heavy and too elaborate to be used routinely.

II. Other types of bronzes
A) Musical Instruments: bells and drums. The MIA owns a number of Eastern Chou bells (Chung/Zhong) that belonged to larger sets. Ceremonial and court music was played on these sets which usually numbered 5 to 12 bells.
B) Weapons: The MIA owns all sorts of bronze swords, halberds, and axes, most dating from the Shang and Western Chou periods.
C) Decorations: finials, pole tops, etc.
D) Chariot Fittings: wheel caps from Shang and Chou chariot burials.
E) Belt Hooks for pinning together loose robes, from the Eastern Chou period.
F) Lamps, lamp supports, and furniture supports usually in the form of humans or animals.

SHANG BRONZE DECORATION

BASIC STYLE
Mainstream Shang bronzes have been divided up into five chronological styles. (Loehr 42-53) "Mainstream" bronzes are those that originated from Anyang, the last capital of the Shang dynasty. Most of the MIA Shang vessels illustrate the three later styles. Sometimes these styles appear simultaneously on a single vessel. One style does not necessarily disappear with the advent of a new bronze style.

FIVE BRONZE STYLES
Style I: thread-like raised decoration
Style II: ribbon-like raised decoration
Style III: dense, fluid, and curvilinear designs, often feather or quill-like extensions; design is flush with the background
Style IV: design is still flush with the background, but the idea of separation within the ornament is introduced; the main motifs are done in wider bands or made more three-dimensional
Style V: an elaboration of Style IV-except that the main motifs are now rendered in high relief (more three-dimensionally)

SHANG BRONZE MOTIFS

T'ao T'ieh (tao tie)
The t'ao t'ieh is an animal mask that appears on almost every Shang bronze vessel. The significance of the t'ao t'ieh is unclear. The term was not used by the Shang themselves, but was coined by Sung Dynasty (12th century A.D.) antiquarians. They in turn borrowed it from a late Chou dynasty book (Lu Shih Chun Ch'in) which talked about a monster that was so greedy it ate its own body. Unfortunately, there is no relationship between this monster (written of several hundred years later) and the image on the Shang bronzes.

There has been a steady stream of scholarly articles that claim the t'ao t'ieh really represents a tiger, a dragon, a water buffalo, etc. Yet, because there is no written confirmation, none of these theories can be proved or disproved. One possible idea is that it represents the Shang deity or god around which their religious art centered. Still no one can really know until some written proof is discovered.

The fantastic mask is magical in itself as it contains an optical trick. At first glance one can see the elements of the face, such as the eyes, horns, and jaws. However, when one covers up half of it, there appears to be two creatures (dragons) that meet in profile at the center. Each horn, eye, and jaw belongs to a separate being whose body stretches out into lower claws and an upper tail. One cannot see both at the same time, recalling the more famous optical trick of the rabbit/duck.

CHOU BRONZE DECORATION

WESTERN CHOU BRONZE STYLES
Western Chou bronze styles can be divided into three chronological stages:
Stage I: Continues and develops Shang shapes and decor, but done with more drama and aggressiveness.

Stage II: Vessels take on smoother shapes and their decoration mainly consists of birds rendered in narrow, modulated ribbons.

Stage III: (Called Middle Chou in Sherman Lee.) Decoration is done in pure abstract patterns.

Western Zhou begins with clearly defined motifs but these gradually become more abstract. One reason that the decoration on Western Chou bronzes becomes increasingly abstract is that the primary function of the vessel was to carry inscriptions. Inscriptions of the Western Chou period are longer and more explanatory than those of the Shang. They record history, seal power transfers, and bless weddings. The emphasis is on the activities and concerns of the living versus the concerns of the afterlife.

EASTERN CHOU BRONZE STYLES
Unlike the logical progression of the Shang and Western Chou bronzes, it is very difficult to discuss Eastern Chou bronzes in terms of a chronological development. Rather, the incredible variety of aesthetic taste and technique seen in Eastern Chou bronzes reflect the divided nature of China at this time. Over the centuries the royal family of Chou lost power and prestige. When their capital at Hao was attacked in 711 B.C., none of their so-called vassal states came to their aid. Thus they had to move east to Loyang in order to escape complete devastation. There they set up a new capital, but they ruled only in name, not in fact. China without central rule broke up into numerous states ruled over by lords. Each state developed its own court rules, language variation, literature, and artistic style. In fact, China at this time was more like Europe, a group of states with similar origins. It was not unified politically or culturally.

The Eastern Chou bronzes in the MIA reflect this diversity. Their importance as ritual vessels or as vehicles for inscriptions waned. Wishing to impress their living contemporaries, the lords commissioned bronzes that were impressive visually and technically. For example, the great water basin (Ch'ien, 50.46.103) from Shaanxi, is a tour de force of piece-moldcasting. The outlines for the registers are made to look like simple rope, while the in-fill of the registers is made up of a profusion of feathers, claws, and curls that rise, fall, and interlace in varying degrees of relief.

MIA INLAID EASTERN CHOU TING
(Jacobsen 185) Casting during the Eastern Chou period advanced rapidly. Artisans became interested in the possibilities of flat design created by inlay of other precious materials: silver, gold, turquoise, and glass. This was an art very different in spirit from the ideas of the sculptural piece-mold castings. Here a lot of "cold-working" of metal took place. First the vessel was cast, leaving grooves and holes for the inlay. Metals such as the softer silver and gold were warmed and pushed into these grooves, cut, and smoothed down. This method creates a beautiful, glowing decoration.

The form of this Eastern Chou ting (a vessel on three or four legs) is very different from a Western Chou ting (compare for example 50.46.105).

• It has a smooth rounded profile with liquid-like curved cabriole legs. Western Chou vessels, in contrast, are more dynamic and square.
  
• The legs are subtly attached to the body, emphasizing the easy curve.
  
• The decoration is interlocking triangles with curved ends, rather than heart-shaped.
  
• The decoration is arranged in tiers using the gold and silver for contrasting effects.
  
• The cover was designed to be used as a plate when turned over on its three animal-like legs. It is decorated with six swirling dragons.
  
• The emphasis is on beauty over ritual. Bronzes were now used as an indication of power and influence of the owner. They are more of a knick-knack, a possession, than a holy object used for ritual or historical purposes.

The large collection of Chinese Bronzes lent by Alfred F. Pillsbury, which has afforded pleasure to increasing numbers of visitors during its stay at the Institute, has acquired further interest with the addition of four early ritual vessels. These, because of their appearance at this time, assume a particular significance for all who look beyond the horizons of the present world upheaval.This may be because perceptions are sharper and awareness more acute in times of peril. It may be because we now look, with a sense of terrible urgency, to the past for reassurance and faith. That we can secure it by contact with masterpieces of the past is in itself an answer to the suggestion, sometimes set forth in the first heat of war, that great art, great music, great literature, can be laid aside for the duration. There is, on the contrary, no time when contemplation of these things is of greater importance. They are a constant reminder that the best inspirations of man will persist despite tyranny, aggression, bigotry, and bloodshed. They are the beacon that guides the course of civilization.So it is that these relics of the first great Chinese civilization—relics that have already survived many upheavals—give promise of surviving the present world upheaval. In these bronzes, and in what they stand for, we have the reassurance that those ideals for which the world is again plunged in chaos will not perish.This fact is particularly striking in view of certain parallels existing between the Shang civilization, which produced the bronzes in question, and our own. With this thought in mind it is interesting, before examining the vessels themselves, to consider briefly what is known of the Shang people through scientific investigation and the studies of scholars in the Chinese field such as Herlee Glessner Creel, Bernhard Karlgren, and others.The origin of the Shangs has not been definitely determined, but from the time that they settled at An Yang in northern Honan about 1400 B.C. a fairly accurate record of their civilization exists. They were an agricultural, hunting, warring people who probably chose the An Yang site because it furthered their interests in all these fields. The rich and fertile plains surrounding the city assured them of abundant crops; the mountains to the east offered good hunting; and the location of the city itself, in a deep bend of the river Huan, provided an easy system of defense in case of invasion.In their strategically-located capital the Shangs developed a highly civilized society. It appears that the city was laid out according to a definite plan and, that its soundly-constructed buildings were of a type not radically different from those in China today. A literature of some pretensions, an advanced system of writing, and a decorative art of unusually high quality shows the Shangs to have been a people of taste and refinement. The ruling member of this group was the king, who held his position through his military prestige. That the family was a major unit in society is indicated by the importance of ancestor worship. Divination by oracle bones was practiced, advice being asked of the spirits on every aspect of life.With regard to war, it seems clear that the Shangs, while not a peace-observing people, were neither a people greatly concerned with conquest. They warred with barbarians to the north and west, driving off invaders with designs on their territory, and often bringing home prisoners and loot, but of planned and far-reaching schemes of conquest there appears to be no evidence.It was perhaps this satisfaction with things as they were—this defensive state of mind—coupled with their great wealth, their refinement, their sense of security and superiority, that led to their downfall. In any event, about the year 1122 B.C., they were conquered by a group of western barbarians under the leadership of the Chous.The circumstances leading up to the Shang conquest are of peculiar interest. Like their vanquished foes, the Chous are thought to have emanated from north China. They settled in the Wei valley and gradually rose to a position of dominance over surrounding tribes. Ambition grew with power, and they turned covetous eyes on the rich territories to the east. Doubtless their first contact with the Shangs came as the result of some daring foray, and there can be little question that this initial impact bore in it the seed of future conquest. The supposition is that word of the wealth and glories of the Shang civilization first reached the Chous through the medium of some hostage or hostages who rejoined their fellow tribesmen, after detention by the Shangs, with exciting stories of the wonders to be seen at An Yang.It is easy to see how such tales would have inflamed the envy of the Chous, a barbarian people who had only recently, if at all, graduated from their earth-pit hovels to a more ambitious form of dwelling, who had no knowledge of writing, and who were ignorant of the amenities of life enjoyed by the Shangs. The Chous had something the Shangs lacked, however: far-flung ambition, a desire to better their state, and a savageness and vigor that recognized no obstacle.The conclusion was foregone, and events thereafter seem to have moved cunningly toward the downfall of the Shangs. It may be assumed that as the threat of Chou power became more menacing the Shang rulers decided to follow a policy of appeasement, accepting ambassadors from the Chou, and teaching them many of their arts and customs. Later still they permitted woman of noble Shang families to marry into the reigning house of Chou, thus creating another channel for the exchange of ideas. Unwittingly, in these ways, the Shangs opened the road of conquest to their enemies. It may be that when the hour came to strike, the Chous cleverly seized a moment when the attention of the Shangs was directed elsewhere, but the policy of appeasement, the voluntary surrendering of cultural ideas, and the fifth column probably planted in An Yang by the Chous, must have contributed overwhelmingly to the defeat of the Shang people.The decisiveness of the victory was apparently as much a surprise to the conquerors as it was a blow to the conquered, because it is said that many of the invaders deemed it wise to gather up what booty they could and retire again to their own domain. The Chou leaders refused, however, and history shows that they were wise. The Shangs never again rose to a position of serious threat, for the Chous at once set their new order in motion. It involved many and far-reaching changes, but certain aspects of Shang culture were taken over unchanged. Among these was the art of bronze-casting, which, during the reign of the first five Chou kings remained substantially the same as it had been under the Shangs. The same, that is, insofar as it employed Shang forms and decorative patterns. In spirit the art of Shang bronzes died with the overthrow of the Shang people about 1122 B.C.That the spirit itself did not die, however, is abundantly clean to anyone who has studied the Shang bronzes in the Pillsbury collection; who has come to know them and felt himself invaded by the sense of deep excitement that communication with them brings. They have a special meaning now, for they convey to us, across unbroken centuries, the message that the finest creations of mankind are indestructible.The examples just acquired by Mr. Pillsbury especially repay study, because they illustrate an interesting evolution in character and design. The vital, somewhat ruthless quality of Shang bronzes is seen in the yu. The boldly modelled t'ao t'ieh mask on the body—a motif that was later to become much more elaborate—appears in one of its earliest manifestations against the spiral background. The theme is repeated in a dissolved state on the shoulder band, and about the foot of the vessel appears a bold spiral design.In keeping with the body decoration is the treatment of the handle, which rises in a vigorous curve from two strong bovine heads at the shoulder. It is anchored to the cover with a coiled, bottle-horned dragon surmounted by an absurd and amusing scaled bird. The vital and authoritative character of Shang bronze design is well expressed in this example.A suaver, more elegant quality is notable in the covered kuang. The simple mask of the yu has become noticeably elaborated; so much so here that it is almost dragonesque in character. The S-shaped brows lend it an air of sprightly menace which is echoed in the dragon in the upper section. This dragon, of the beaked type, pursues his stealthy way on the heels of a strange creature whose beak has been cunningly lifted and elongated to follow the swelling lip of the vessel. One claw is delicately poised to balance this line at the throat of the kuang.The band at the foot carries still another form of dragon, a deformed shape that has little left to associate it with its beaked fellow above. The three areas of decoration, broken vertically at the front and sides of the vessel by indented flanges, are set against a background of spirals.The cover of the kuang, terminating the mask of a bottle-horned beast, is adorned with two turning dragons that curve around the coiled tail of this beast. At the top of the handle is a powerfully modelled bovine mask which lends a note of brute strength to a vessel notable chiefly for elegance and variety of décor. The repertoire of Shang design has here been handled with great refinement and skill, and the casting is of a smooth perfection remarkable even in bronzes of the Shang period.The same virtuoso quality is evident in a shallow ting with animal supports, but here there is greater crispness and urbanity. It is as if, to state the difference in twentieth-century terms, the kuang had been cast for Boston and the ting for New York. Like the square-bodied yu, the ting has a ruthless quality, but it is the ruthlessness of extreme refinement. The band of cicadas, flanked by a diagonal, eyed pattern derived from the dragon, is executed with superb assurance, and the animal legs—a compound of bird and beast?—are strong and challenging. This ting is, from every point of view, one of the handsomest pieces in the group.The fourth vessel, a tall yu that is unadorned except for narrow bands of decoration around the base, throat, and cover, is a softer and more winning piece than the first three. Possibly it indicates an increasingly sophisticated taste on the part of the Shangs; a taste that found its chief pleasure in restraint and beauty of line.The decoration reveals a departure from pure animal design, for while the animal motif remains it is in such a dissolved state that it has become abstract. The décor around the throat and cover is derived from the dragon, but it has been drawn out until the various elements take on the appearance of separate spiral or feathered lines. The eye can still be distinguished; otherwise there is little left in it of the bold and prowling favorite of the Shangs.The benign character of this bronze is further accentuated by the rams' heads adorning the handle, and by the soft, greyed-green patination. It is an example of Shang bronze art to which the epithet “lovely” can be congruously applied. Here, one feels, the Shang spirit has quieted down.Does this subtle evolution in character, reflected in bronze herald the downfall of Shang civilization? The answer, so far as we can know until the inscriptions of these pieces are read, is buried in the mists of time. Yet it is absorbing to dwell upon, and to see in the bronzes of the Shang period not only great and satisfying works of art—the records of a mighty people—but a potent reminder to preserve the institutions that make such an art possible.Referenced Works of Art

1. Chinese Bronze Ritual Vessel of Yu Type with Rigid Handle. Shang Dynasty, 1766-1122 B. C. Lent by Alfred F. Pillsbury.
2. Covered Bronze Ritual Vessel of Kuang Type Used for Wine. Chinese, Shang Dynasty. Lent by Alfred F. Pillsbury.
3. Bronze Ting with Animal Supports. Shang Dynasty. Lent by Alfred F. Pillsbury.
4. Bronze Wine Vessel of Yu Type. Shang dynasty. Lent by Alfred F. Pillsbury.

The cultural heritage of our community has recently been enriched by the gift of the outstanding art collection of Alfred Fiske Pillsbury to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. One of the most important bequests ever made to the Institute, these collections, consisting of more than one thousand objects, establish Minneapolis as one of the world centers for the study of the arts of the East.The addition of such rich collections to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is of tremendous significance. But for Mr. Pillsbury's many friends and for the members of the Society of Fine Arts, the Institute's good fortune will be overcast by sorrow for the passing of one who so willingly and faithfully served the Society of Fine Arts over a period of thirty years, first as Treasurer, then as President, and finally as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. His collections will stand as an enduring memorial, but his wise counsel and his daily visits to the Institute will be missed.Mr. Pillsbury's bequest is an affirmation of good citizenship which will come as no surprise to those who knew his interest in the arts and his love of our community. He was well known as a leader in the civic, business, cultural and religious life of Minneapolis. His many years of service to the city as a member of the Park Board, as well as his enlightened interest in and contribution to the growth of the Art Institute, have long been known.The wide extent of his activities as a collector is not so well known. Many may have enjoyed their visits to the Oriental galleries at the Institute without fully realizing that the larger part of the Oriental collections exhibited there were generously lent by Mr. Pillsbury. In recent years, the ancient Chinese bronzes have become world-famous, while his collections in other fields of Oriental and Near Eastern art have been constantly on demand as loans for special exhibitions in museums throughout the country. Guided by an extraordinary eye for form and color, and, on the whole, less interested in scholarly and archaeological considerations, Mr. Pillsbury assembled collections that reflect his instinctive and discriminating taste.To remind our members of the scope of the Pillsbury collections and Mr. Pillsbury's activities as a collector, it seems appropriate at this time to reprint, in part, an article written by Mrs. Edward H. Sirich on the occasion of Mr. Pillsbury's appointment to the office of Chairman of the Board of Trustees."No one is more modest in the role of collector than Mr. Pillsbury. In assembling the archaic jades, the Wei and T'ang tomb figurines and T'ang pottery, the monochrome porcelains, the Persian pottery, the Khmer Buddhist sculpture, and finally the great Chinese ritual bronzes, he has given himself up to a pleasure that is in no sense purely selfish since a great part of his enjoyment has come from sharing the fruits of his collecting with others. His generous long-term loans to the Art Institute have made these beautiful-and, in this region, rarely encountered-objects available to all that care to look at them. In a way, also, they make Mr. Pillsbury the friend of everyone who knows his treasures because they reflect to an unusual degree the personality of the man who assembled them. It is no accident that they are of uniformly high quality; that they are subtle and understated; that they reveal a profound feeling for form and color; and that they are spiced by a sly humor that is the more effective for its infrequent intrusion. In assembling his own collections Mr. Pillsbury has given free reign to his personal tastes; a liberty he never permitted himself as President of the Society of Fine Arts. In doing so he has shown himself to be possessed of the qualities he admires so much in the works he has collected; qualities which, strangely enough, are to be found almost exclusively in the arts of the East: economy of expression, an intense awareness of form, and a something beneath the surface which lures the beholder to special, happy discoveries."Mr. Pillsbury's interest in oriental art began with a trip to the Orient following the first World War. He admits that he was captivated by the strange beauty of the things he saw there, and it is a tribute to his discrimination that the first objects he began seriously to collect were early Chinese jades. He started with jades of the Han period, but soon put these aside for the pendants and ornaments of Chou and, later, the austere symbol of rank, discs, weapons, and the enchanting animals of Shang. To the average eye these make no quick appeal. The lovely pale ivory of a chicken-bone jade dagger; the rare mottled blue of a sceptre; the watery, blue-flecked green of a symbol of rank, or the mat white of a graceful belt hook, are outside the experience of many Westerners in the field of jade. But they ripen with acquaintance, bringing new and unexpected pleasure. Added to the charm of color are those of form and texture, so that in the end the constant observer discovers in himself a small, fierce mania for these curious and beautiful objects. There are some three hundred of them in the collection which Mr. Pillsbury was building in the twenty years from 1918 to 1938."During this time, beginning about 1925 and ending in 1932, Mr. Pillsbury assembled three other collections: the T'ang potteries and Wei and T'ang tomb figurines, the Chinese monochrome porcelains, and the Persian potteries. The T'ang potteries include fine examples of glazed ware in a variety of forms: bowls in soft blue and white, a pale green iridescent bottle, a standing hound, head lifted, with a deep blue glaze, and a typical T'ang ewer with a blue and yellow glaze."The Wei and T'ang tomb potteries represent a more casual art, models made in large numbers for use in tombs and thus of more summary execution. Nevertheless, the camels, horses, animal figures representing sign of the zodiac, oxen, birds, court ladies, musicians, dancing girls, wrestlers, and guards have a special charm. These figurines, whose informal treatment results in an impressionistic rendering of form lacking in more sophisticated arts, were placed in tombs to accompany the deceased on his journey to the other world. They are almost always unglazed but frequently show traces of pigment: red, blue, green. Among the most engaging in Mr. Pillsbury's collection are a diminutive pair of wrestlers of the Wei period whose comic antics bring a smile to the most dour face, and a T'ang princess accompanied by a musician and a dancing girl who bows with reverent grace."The monochrome porcelains of the K'ang His, Yung Chêng, and Ch'ien Lung period illustrate quite another, and very brilliant, achievement of Chinese ceramic art. This collection of some sixty pieces is notable for the two qualities Mr. Pillsbury admires above all others: form and color. Assembling it must have afforded him, as it affords all observers, a sensuous pleasure that is equaled, in his collections, only by the archaic jades. Among the most beautiful pieces are a peachbloom amphora, and imperial yellow gallipot, and apple green bottle, and a clair de lune amphora."The Persian potteries, also including about sixty pieces, introduce a different and beguiling note into the Pillsbury collections. Although it is not a large group it includes examples of almost all the well-known types: lustre painted ware from Rayy; under and over-glaze painted bowls from Rayy and Sava; an incised white-glaze bowl of the tenth century; black and blue painted bowls and plates from Kashan; a pale turquoise bowl decorated in gold relief, and many others. Like most Persian works of art, these potteries illustrate the meticulous fashion in which the potter suited the character and spirit of his design to his material. He never demanded more of the substance than it could give. Thus there it is, in these bowls and plates and ewers, a happy marriage of design to material that enhances the medium, no matter how humble. The Persian potteries are pure delight-gay but restrained, cool and self-contained."The Khmer and Siamese sculptures, about fifteen large and twenty small pieces, which captured Mr. Pillsbury's interest about 1932, represent his only incursion into the field of pure sculpture. The remote, contemplative quality of these bronze and sandstone figures from Cambodia and Siam exercised a strong appeal for him; so strong, in fact, that two seated Buddhas and one head of a Bodhisattva are the only pieces of his large collection that he has kept in his home. They, too, are objects that are strange and sometimes forbidding to the western eye, but the observer who responds to them will often find them rewarding beyond all other works of art."Perhaps the transition from Khmer sculpture to the enigmatic bronze ritual vessels of China was the natural last step for Mr. Pillsbury to take in the course of his years of collecting. Certainly it has been the most satisfying to him and one which has revealed to the highest degree his taste and discrimination. The monumental conception, the miraculously controlled power, the mastery of design, and the flawless workmanship of these vessels represent the ultimate in Chinese art. In bringing them to Minneapolis; in sharing them at the Art Institute with visitors from all over the world, Mr. Pillsbury has bestowed the ultimate favor in his long and fruitful career as a collector."The Pillsbury collections are now in the safekeeping of the Art Institute, where they will be enjoyed by many coming generations. The possession of such a treasure places an obligation upon the community. Perhaps the best expression of our gratitude will be the humble study and ultimately the full appreciation of these magnificent examples of the arts of the East.A portion of the Pillsbury collections is presently on display at the Institute in the galleries on the top floor of the South wing. A comprehensive memorial exhibition is planned for the fall of 1950.Referenced Works of ArtCover. Alfred F. Pillsbury. Detail from a portrait by Frances Cranmer Greenman, painted in 1936

1. Bronze Tiger. Chinese, Middle Chou
2. Bronze Horses. Chinese, Shang
3. Bronze Vase Support. Chinese, Late Chou
4. Pottery Bowl. Persian, Rayy, XIII century
5. Buster Ewer. Persian, Rayy, XIII century
6. Pottery Bowl. Persian, Rayy, XIII century
7. Bronze Seated Buddha. Khmer, XII century
8. Ornaments. Persian, X-I centuries, B.C.
9. Head of Boddhisattva. Khmer, XII century
10. Bronze Ritual Vessel. Chinese, Late Chou
11. Bronze Ritual Vessel. Chinese, Shang
12. Bronze Ritual Basin. Chinese, Late Chou