The University of Wyoming Art Museum recently took possession of nearly three dozen bronze sculptures crafted thousands of years ago on the other side of the world.

The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation gave the museum 35 small bronzes dating from the 13th to the first centuries B.C. The bronzes were crafted by the ancient inhabitants of the Eurasian Steppe, a region stretching from Eastern Europe to Northern China.

The items vary from a 1-inch animal head garment ornament to a 10-inch-long sword. UW Art Museum Director and Chief Curator Susan Moldenhauer says small bronze sculptures like these are the Eurasian grasslands’ best-document artistic medium.

“The significant gift represents only a fraction of the collection Arthur M. Sackler amassed over his lifetime, and it is a testament to Dr. Sackler’s generosity and avid support of the arts,” says Moldenhauer. “The museum looks forward to sharing these beautiful small works with the academic community, preschool through 12th-grade students and the general public.”

Selected items from among the collection will be displayed in the exhibit “New Acquisitions: The Art Museum Collection” June 8-July 23 at the UW Art Museum.

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