Included in a new exhibition of ancient Chinese bronzes, the vessel was once used in rituals of ancestral worship.
Every museum visitor’s worst nightmare is accidentally falling into a priceless masterpiece or knocking over a precious artifact. Unfortunately, this terror came true last month for one unlucky visitor at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, who tripped and damaged an ancient Chinese zun, or wine vessel, in the shape of an owl. Veil Sculpture Marble
The charming bronze, which dates from the 12th or 13th century B.C.E, is known as the Pillsbury Owl. Nobody was injured by the incident, which took place on April 9, and the exhibit was immediately removed for assessment and safekeeping. It will undergo conservation and repair work, though it is unclear how long this will take, according to a statement released by the museum.
The object had been perched at the entrance of “Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes,” a special exhibition of 150 bronze vessels associated with ritual and ancestral worship and power in ancient Chinese society. It was designed by the art director and Oscar-winning film designer Tim Yip.
The Shang Dynasty zun would once have been used to hold wine that was intended as a ceremonial offering to ancestors. Its guise as an animal is highly typical of the period. It was bequeathed to the museum in 1950 by the industrialist and philanthropist Alfred F. Pillsbury whose prolific collection of Asian art formed the basis for the next exhibition.
For the rest of the exhibition’s run through May 21, visitors will be greeted at the door instead by a set of 5th- or 4th-century B.C.E. bronze-winged dragons, which have moved from the second gallery.
A British Couple Bought Two Vases for $10 at a Thrift Sale. They Turned Out to Be Art Nouveau Collectibles Worth 150 Times That
A Museum Has Renamed a Vegetable Still Life by Van Gogh After a Chef Spotted Something Was Off About the Onions
An X-Ray Scan of a 16th-Century Bronzino Painting of Duke Cosimo de’ Medici Has Revealed a Mysterious Underlying Portrait
‘He Was Hungry’: A Korean Art Student Untaped Maurizio Cattelan’s Infamous $150,000 Banana From a Museum Wall and Ate It
Art Industry News: A Rare Blue Diamond Priyanka Chopra Jonas Showed Off at the Met Gala Could Fetch $25 Million at Auction + Other Stories
A Low-Key Collector Kept 230 Classic Cars Hidden Away in a Dusty Old Church. The Astonishing Trove Could Fetch Millions at Auction
Christie’s Neglected to Reveal the Ugly History Behind Its Sensational Planned Jewelry Auction. Then a Billionaire’s Wife Complained
See the Rare Keith Haring Drawing—Measuring a Massive 125 Feet—That Is Going on View in Amsterdam for the First Time in 30 Years
How Lavinia Fontana Broke Renaissance Tradition to Become the First Woman Artist Known to Depict Female Nudes—and Earn Equal Pay as Men
©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Paul Philippe Bronze Sculpture You are currently logged into this Artnet News Pro account on another device. Please log off from any other devices, and then reload this page continue. To find out if you are eligible for an Artnet News Pro group subscription, please contact [email protected] . Standard subscriptions can be purchased on the subscription page.