The distinguished collection of Chinese bronzes lent to the Art Institute by Alfred F. Pillsbury has long constituted one of the most important exhibitions in the museum. In the time that has elapsed since the first examples appeared in the galleries it has also become one of the major attractions to a growing number of visitors, and the additions periodically made to it by Mr. Pillsbury have been noted with interest both by students of Chinese bronzes in various part of the world and by members of the community who have found in Chinese bronzes an exciting and beautiful form of art. The announcement of the addition of five examples of Shang and Chou bronze will therefore be welcomed in many quarters. Chosen with the discrimination which has marked the assembling of this collection from the beginning, the new group brings to the museum a series of variation on forms already represented. It includes one yu, one kuei, two tsun, and a bell of the to type. It is especially notable for the fact that the predominant decorative motif of four of the examples is the bird, an element hitherto present in only a minor role in the decoration of vessels in this collection. With the exception of one tsun, itself the figure of an owl, the newly acquired vessels display the bird as the major element of the décor. The bell also carries this motif, but to a less conspicuous degree.To the expert the chief interest of the group will lie in the fact that it represents rather rare types of well-known forms and a style of decoration that is less frequently encountered than some others. It will thus prove valuable in clarifying further the evolution of style in Chinese bronzes. To the casual audience, on the other hand, the interest of the group will lie in the individual appeal of the various members. It is through such individual appeal that any work of art must make its most important claim to attention and it is upon the intensity of the response it evokes that its existence as a work of art depends. In the long run its interest stems from the sum of its qualities and not from a minute analysis of the diverse elements which contribute to its personality. Especially in the alien field of Chinese bronzes does such analysis tend to become confusing to the casual observer, whose interest must be primarily captured by the general appearance of the bronze—by the vigor and beauty of its form, decoration, and patina; by the ingenuity with which the artist has disposed the elements of decoration; by the electric, and often menacing, quality that marks so many early bronzes.With regard to the purpose of the vessels it may be recalled that they were ceremonial objects cast for use in sacrifices made to ancestors, to Heaven and Earth and the forces of nature. They were the essential articles of worship, and the perfection of their design and workmanship testifies to the importance placed on the act of worshipping. They include vessels for wine, food, and cooking, each ingeniously shaped to serve its special purpose. The decoration, much of it zoomorphic, reflects the desire for protection by powerful spirits or the desire, equally strong, to propitiate those upon whose favor one's well-being depended.In the present group of bronzes, two important examples of vessels used in invoking protective spirits are the double owl yu and the tsun in the form of an owl. The former is a splendid example of a wine container representing two owls placed back to back. The squat body stands on four sturdy legs bearing coiled dragons. The dome lid, with a knob at the top, carries two owl masks with horns, the protruding beaks turned down, on a ground of squared spirals. The edges of cover and body are decorated with narrow bands of spirals. The bodies of the owls, with plumage fully developed on breast and wing sections, are decorated above each wing with a beaked, long-tailed bird on a spiral ground. Separating them on the long sides are tubular lugs bearing a horned mask. A similar mask, in flat relief but more clearly defined, is centered on the long side of the body. The lugs indicate that this is an early vessel on which a length of braided bamboo or rope served as a handle. The earliest bronze handles of such vessels were in the form of twisted rope and offer evidence that before bronze handles were introduced rope or some other pliable material was used. This fact, combined with the strong, simple contour of the yu, marks it as a product of the Shang period. Another owl yu of this type in the Pillsbury collection illustrates the deterioration of the design so boldly presented in this example. In the second yu only the legs and a suggestion of the wings remain to indicate the owl form. The body of the vessel is smooth except for the sweeping lines of the wings, and the owl masks on the cover are replaced by monster masks having no relation to the owl.The tsun in the form of an owl, also of the Shang period, is a striking example of a rare form. Like that of the first double owl yu the silhouette is clean and uncluttered. The plump body of the bird, with its beautifully executed plumage, has a square tail which, with the clawed feet, serves as a support. The wings, indicated by curving lines of spirals and stylized feathers, display none of the accessory animals to be found on some tsun of this type. The only elaboration consists of shallow hooked flanges on breast, back, and tail.In connection with these two vessels it may be noted that the owl was the most important of all birds represented on early Chinese bronzes. It is also the only bird which can be unerringly identified. As a symbol of darkness, and thus also of power over darkness, it was interpreted as a protector of the dead. The fact that it also protected agriculture by eating or killing vermin added to its importance. In considering this attribute it is interesting to observe that the Pillsbury owl tsun may possibly represent the species known in Minnesota as the burrowing owl; a bird which is especially esteemed because it protects crops from destructive vermin.Birds of a more elaborate character are boldly represented on a kuei and an unusual round tsun of the Early Chou period. The body of the kuei is decorated with two large confronted birds, their heads turned back, framed in streaming plumes which emerge from crest, wing, and tail. These plumes are decorated at intervals with small, vaguely heart-shaped medallions in broad relief which recall the eyes in a peacock's tail. The handles, with pendant ends, terminate at the top with rams' heads set close to the body. A narrow band of eyed diagonals decorates the foot and an animal mask in relief appears below the neck on the long sides of the body. The treatment of the birds, with their flowing plumage, lends an air of stately movement to this vessel, whose decoration has a counterpart in a round tsun lent to the London Exhibition by the Chinese Government and designated by them as a "Phoenix tsun," and in a yu in the Sumitomo collection. The pale green patina with patches of sharper green and blue contributes further to the suggestion of brilliant plumage.The tsun presents an even richer example of the decorative style dominated by large birds. The suave lines of the vessel, the soft bluish-green patina, and the stately birds with broad, flat bands of plumage swirling slowly about them, have a mesmeric rhythmic quality reminiscent of Swineburne. In this example of the heads of the birds are not turned back, as is often the case—on a yu in the Victoria and Albert Museum, for example—and the neck band is filled with sinuous S-shaped dragons instead of birds. The foot carries a band of long-tailed birds, and the throat is decorated with four pairs of confronted birds in broad leaf-shaped panels. The vessel is a beautiful example of the relaxed Early Chou style with a sensuous quality rarely encountered in this medium. This tsun, and the kuei described above, were unearthed at Si-an Fu, also known as Chang-an, in Shensi Province during the war. Both carry inscriptions at the bottom, the kuei a lengthy one and the tsun a brief one.Livelier and far more tenuous birds decorate the borders of the fifth piece in this new group—a bell with a long narrow barrel topped by a tall handle. It has been identified as one of the to type despite the fact that it shows no trace of a clapper. Such bells are said to have been carried in the hand and rung on special occasions. However, the fact that the bell was meant to be held with the mouth up—although it is shown reversed—which is indicated by the position of the mask, seems to contradict this suggestion. An explanation will have to wait on time. In the meanwhile it offers a delightful example of late Chou bronze art, the graceful, nervous drawing of the border design offering a piquant contrast with the geometrical area below the mask.The five bronzes shown here are now on view with other examples in the Pillsbury Collection. An early visit to them is recommended, for they will lift the spirit and gladden the eye.Referenced Works of Art

1. Wine vessel (Tsun) in the form of an owl. Shang. Collection of Alfred F. Pillsbury
2. Wine vessel (Yu) in the form of a double owl. Shang. Collection of Alfred F. Pillsbury
3. Food vessel (Kuei) with decoration of large birds. Early Chou. Collection of Alfred F. Pillsbury
4. Wine vessel (Tsun) decorated with large birds. Early Chou. Collection of Alfred F. Pillsbury
5. Bell of the To type. Late Chou. Collection of Alfred F. Pillsbury

Of the Chinese bronzes lately added by Alfred F. Pillsbury to his distinguished collection now exhibited at the Institute, one of the most striking is a wine vessel of the tsun group. Dating probably from the early Chou period, perhaps around 1000 B.C., it exhibits a bold and lively type of décor not represented on other bronzes in the collection.It is a handsome piece, with a rounded body, widely flaring lip, and an exuberant quality that derives alike from the unusually wide, deep flanges, and the bold and vigorous technique. The décor is arranged in three wide bands and consists of five elements common in Shang and early Chou bronzes: the monster mask, spiral background, gaping dragons, rising blades, and an excessively elongated dragon incorporated into the blade pattern.The lower register carries two monster masks on a finely detailed spiral background, the division of the mask coinciding with the heavy flanges running from the lower mid-section to the edge of the base. The same motif appears on a larger scale in the middle register. The upper section, which occupies the entire throat of the vessel, is decorated with a band of lively, gaping dragons above which are four rising blades divided in the center by the flaring upper portion of the flanges. Running the length of each half of the blades is the elongated dragon, its head turned back, upon a spiral background.The decoration is executed in high, bold, and rather broad relief; a technique that, with the absence of any decorative detail on the animal forms, gives the bronze its exceptionally clean and forceful character. This quality, together with the strong, pierced flanges, emphasized its individuality and makes it stand out even in the high company in which it now finds itself. Visitors who watch with interest the growth of this splendid collection will find it a noteworthy addition to the original group.

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