DIGITAL EXPLORATIONS

The Lobkowicz Collections commissioned these NFTs to bring to light qualities of their art that cannot be experienced without the aid of digital tools. Instead of displaying digitized copies of pieces from the Collections, the focus of this series is placed on the stories that can be told around the artwork referenced in each NFT. Alluding to the broader goals of the Collections, these NFTs demonstrate how research and restoration are an opportunity to uncover new stories that allow viewers to develop a closer relationship to and a greater understanding of the artwork. Digital tools can be used to highlight overlooked artists by reimagining their work and emphasize the challenges of cultural preservation. This exhibit breathes new life and meaning into stories from the past to create the stories of the future. 


UNSEEN GAZE

This portrait of David with the Head of Goliath is painted by Paolo Caliari, called Paolo Veronese, one of the foremost Italian Renaissance painters. The original painting underwent X-ray and infrared imaging, revealing hidden details. With this new data, the Lobkowicz Collections was inspired to create an NFT that offers viewers the unique opportunity to see something that can’t be seen in person. Similar to Goliath’s head, which is visible in the shadows beneath David’s left arm, an unidentified face appears. Unseen Gaze reminds us to dig deeper, unearthing not only artistic discoveries but also the stories that come with them.

Lobkowicz Collections x Provenance 2021
Referenced work: David with the Head of Goliath, painted by Paolo Caliari, called Paolo Veronese, ca. 1580, oil on canvas, Nelahozeves Castle


FORGOTTEN MENUET

This is the first time this piece of music has been heard or even played in over 250 years. Forgotten Menuet pays homage to the unrecognized musical talent of its composer, Comtesse Anna Maria Wilhlemina von Althann. A gifted lutenist, Anna Maria’s talent was likened to that of the finest professional lute players in Europe by witnesses of the time, yet she remained unrecognized in a society that overlooked female musical ambition. Forgotten Menuet brings her music to life and recomposes the neglected history of female composers and musicians. 

Lobkowicz Collections x Provenance 2021
Referenced work: Menuet, lute tablature by Comtesse Anna Maria Wilhelmina Althann (1703–1754), composed ca. early 18th century


ANTAEUS’S CONTEST

This animation illustrates the rapid decay of a 16th-century sgraffito rendering on the facade of Nelahozeves Castle, just north of Prague. Sgraffito is a decorative technique that involves scratching into a surface to reveal a contrasting layer and color underneath. The surface’s exposure to the harsh elements causes continuous erosion. As a nod to the Herculean task of art conservation, the scene selected for this piece is a detail of Hercules defeating Antaeus. The sale of this NFT will directly finance the restoration of this sgraffito piece.

Lobkowicz Collections x Provenance 2021
Referenced work: Sgraffito detail, Nelahozeves Castle, 16th century


RESTORATION SERIES

Conservation and restoration are essential for safeguarding cultural heritage for current and future generations. Inspired by philanthropic NFT initiatives, the Lobkowicz Collections decided to use NFTs as a tool to support specific conservation needs. This series highlights three projects in the Collections that require immediate attention. These NFTs will have utility beyond the digital world and will directly finance the restoration of physical pieces, allowing a broader base of patrons to participate in cultural preservation. Holders of each NFT will receive their restored artwork as an additional NFT once its restoration is complete.


GUT SHOT

This NFT portrays regiment officer Cornet Gaspar von Scherdinger. It is one of 19 portraits of officers belonging to the Georg Christian Prinz Lobkowitz Kyrysnic Regiment, attributed to Italian painter Antonio Lucini (1662–1741). The sale of this NFT not only funds the restoration of this painting, but also bestows unique ownership to its buyer, who will receive a second NFT of the restored painting upon its completion. The owner will see the portrait’s transformation from pre- to post-restoration, while still owning the only existing NFT iteration of the work in its damaged condition.

Lobkowicz Collections x Provenance 2021
Referenced work: Portrait of Cornet Gaspar von Scherdinger
Probably Antonio Lucini (1662–1741)

NFT on display at NFCastle, Lobkowicz Palace, Prague Castle


BRANDL’S GHOSTS

Two glass negatives from 1941 depicting paintings by renowned Czech Baroque painter Petr Brandl (1668–1735): Sodom and Gomorrah and Troy Burning. The paintings were confiscated by the Nazis and never recovered. The only proof of their existence are these negatives. Glass negatives are considered extremely sensitive materials. Prolonged exposure to unsuitable conditions can cause irreversible damage, including loss of information and image deterioration. The Lobkowicz Archives contains a collection of more than 1,500 at-risk photographic materials. This work speaks to the negatives’ immediate conservation needs, and also to the greater goal of digitizing the entire Lobkowicz Collections. 


Lobkowicz Collections x Provenance 2021 
Referenced work: Glass negatives, 1941, Lobkowicz Archives

NFT on display at NFCastle, Lobkowicz Palace, Prague Castle


NEW WORLD BUST

This is a series of digitally sculpted busts of world-renowned Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904). Dvořák is credited as defining a new Bohemian “national style.” His famous New World Symphony even traveled on the first mission to the moon in 1969. The Lobkowicz Collections is now pursuing its most ambitious project to date—to fully restore the birth house of Antonín Dvořák and transform it into a permanent, musical pilgrimage site. This revitalized destination will honor Dvořák and serve as a center for music education. Sales of the New World Bust directly support this project. 

Lobkowicz Collections x Provenance, 2021

NFT on display at NFCastle, Lobkowicz Palace, Prague Castle


INSPIRED BY THE COLLECTIONS

Museums encourage visitors to draw on ideas from the past to create the future. In this exhibit, the Lobkowicz Collections has commissioned two leading contemporary artists to create new works that draw inspiration directly from the Collections. The featured works demonstrate how creators can harness their curiosity about the past to make thoughtful connections between historical works of art and their own creative pursuits. In doing so, they not only participate in the ongoing narrative of art history, but also revitalize the sources of their inspiration. Viewers are invited to contemplate the relationship between old world cultural heritage and contemporary forms of expression. 


ATLAS Φ AND ATLAS Λ BY OBVIOUS

Obvious, a Parisian artist collective working in the new tradition of AI art, creates images using complex algorithms. For this piece, Obvious fed roughly one thousand images of rare maps into their algorithm to generate a new “map” of a non-existent space. The majority of these images were sourced from Johannes Janssonius’s 11-volume Novus Atlas Absolutissimus, one of the most complete and accurate atlases of its time. Whereas Janssonius created maps in the name of science and truth, Obvious reinterprets traditional cartography by combining AI and human creativity.

Obvious, 2021
Referenced work: Novus Atlas Absolutissimus in 11 vols., Amsterdam, after 1664 by Johannes Janssonius (1588–1644), Lobkowicz Library

NFT on display at NFCastle, Lobkowicz Palace, Prague Castle

A CABINET OF CURIOSITIES BY MATTHEW STONE 

London-based artist Matthew Stone captures classical forms of heroic nudity in his work using expressive, digital brush strokes. In this piece, Stone draws from a painting by 17th-century Flemish artist Cornelis de Baellieur (displayed) depicting a cabinet of curiosities—a personal gallery of trinkets and artifacts collected over a lifetime of travels. Stone’s Cabinet of Curiosities provides a retrospective look at his past works within the painting, exploring self-referential themes touched upon by other great artists like Matisse and Lichtenstein.

Matthew Stone, 2021 
Referenced work: Cabinet of Curiosities by Cornelis de Baellieur (1607–1671), 17th century, oil paint, framed 72 x 103.5 x 6 cm

NFT on display at NFCastle, Lobkowicz Palace, Prague Castle


of-05 by Jan Kovářík

Czech artist Jan Kovářík’s sculptures live squarely in the physical world. Kovářík typically does not create digital work, although he does use digital tools as part of his creative process. For the first time, Kovářík presents a digital version of one of his sculptures. The function of this NFT is to provide a thorough preview of the sculpture, which can later be redeemed for the physical iteration of the work. It explores the relationship between physical art and digital representation and exemplifies a new way for artists working on a large scale to fund the production of their work.

Jan Kovářík 2021