From MPR News

A restored ancient bronze owl artifact has returned to the Minneapolis Institute of Art nearly three years after a visitor accidentally knocked it off its plinth.

The sculpture — a Chinese zun wine vessel that is upwards of 3,200 years old, dating to the Shang dynasty — is one of the most valuable pieces in the museum’s collection, says Yang Liu, the chair of Asian Art.

Liu explains that Chinese archeologists have discovered tens of thousands of bronze from the period, but none quite like this one.

“This is the most naturalistically depicted owl-shaped wine vessel,” Liu says.

The owl also served a sacred purpose.

“Because of the belief in the afterlife, all the deceased ancestors’ spirits need to be taken care of. For that reason, ancestral temples were built; lavishly prepared meals, including wine and food, were dedicated to entertain the spirits of ancestors,” Liu says. “It was made for that purpose.”

In 1950, Alfred F. Pillsbury, then the chairman of the museum’s board of trustees, donated the owl to Mia along with 150 ancient Chinese bronzes. Today, Liu says Mia has one of the largest and most renowned ancient Chinese bronze collections outside of China.

How the owl was damaged:

The owl was already fragile when it came to the museum more than 70 years ago, Liu says.

“Almost all bronzes were damaged [to a] certain degree,” Liu says. “This one is particularly sensitive because the wall of the bronze is very thin, so it cannot resist that pressure.”

A teen visitor tripped into the owl display when it was on view for the 2023 exhibition “Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes,” which was designed by artistic director Tim Yip, who won an Oscar in 2001 for the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

For the exhibition, the owl was not enclosed in a case.

“Normally, we would have a case,” Liu says, “but that installation was quite special.” Yip had designed the exhibition with special dramatic lighting, Liu explains, and a case would have reflected that, obscuring the owl.

How the owl was repaired:

Liu says the museum sent the owl for repair to a bronze conservator in Japan with the help of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

“The vessel was badly damaged by accident by a young visitor to the museum during the spring of 2023,” a project summary by the Art Conservation Project says. “A conservator specializing in bronze sculpture will repair the structure by using reinforcements, epoxy resin and other adhesives, as well as possibly soldering.”

The conservation also included “reinforcing the heavy tail to prevent another detachment.”

For January, the owl will be enclosed in a case on display in the museum lobby. The museum will then reinstall the owl permanently in the bronze galleries, opening April 11 at Mia.