Buckle Plaque with Feline and Raptor (Eastern Eurasian Steppes), 2nd century BCE, cast bronze, copper alloy, 4-1/2 x 2-7/8 inches, gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 2015.14.6.
In December 2015, the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation gifted the University of Wyoming Art Museum 35 small bronzes from the Eurasian grasslands region dating from the 13th century B.C. to first century B.C. A selection of the bronzes is included in the exhibition New Acquisitions: The Art Museum Collection on display from June 18 through July 23, 2016.
Home to nomadic horse-riding dwellers of the Eurasian Steppe, the Eurasian grasslands region extends from northern China westward through Mongolia to the plains of Eastern Europe. The people who populated the steppes were pastoralists who traveled to specific regions in a seasonal cycle living in portable, tent-like structures. They played an important role in facilitating trade along the Silk Road across Asia.
Although they belonged to different tribes and clans and spoke different languages, the people who lived in the Eurasian grasslands shared the same manner of living, dress, social organization and spiritual beliefs. They were also connected through their art objects, which were small due their mobile lifestyle, making them easy to carry, pack or wear. They favored bronze for its strength, light weight and resilience and used it to make tools, weapons, vessels and ornaments to decorate their clothing. The Art Museum’s 35 gifted bronzes range from a 10-inch-long sword to a 1-inch garment ornament of an animal head. Small bronze sculptures such as these are the best-documented artistic medium from this area and period.
This gift represents a fraction of the collection that Arthur M. Sackler (1913–87) amassed over his lifetime. A research psychologist by profession, Sackler was an avid student of art history, and Asian art became the core of his collections. He supported and funded many museums, including the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institute and the Sackler Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His Arthur M. Sackler Foundation was established in 1965 to make Sackler’s extensive art collection available to the public. The UW Art Museum gift is a testament to Sackler’s generosity and avid support of the arts.
