Publications

This book presents the archaeological research material of the 16th-17th century stone latrines that were investigated in the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and other buildings of the Vilnius Lower Castle. For the first time, an attempt has been made to systematize and summarize the extremely rich data from different scientific fields. On the basis of their analysis, the time of construction, functioning and filling of the latrines was specified, their construction was discussed, and the complexes of finds found in the latrines were presented. The artefacts found in the latrines illustrate the palace's more than a century-long period of prosperity and present the interiors, exteriors and everyday culture of the manor in different periods.

 

The international one-work exhibition "The Spiritual Shield: a Prayer Book from Munich by Lithuanian Chancellor Albert Goštautas" accompanying catalogue presents an altar commissioned by the eminent statesman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, defender of the independence of the Lithuanian state, Grand Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Count Albert Goštautas, Grand Duke of Vilnius, and commissioned by the monk Stanislaus Samostšelnik of the Cistercian Abbey of Mogila (pol. Stanislaw Samostrzelnik, Lot. Stanislaus Claratumbensis, c. 1480-1541). It is a book with masterly miniatures and other elements, published in Cracow in 1528, and clearly stands out from the large collection of manuscripts from the Middle Ages and the early modern period.

 

This is a One-Masterpiece International Exhibition „Filius vero unicus... CHILD ARMOUR OF SIGISMUND AUGUSTUS“, presented at the National Museum at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania from the 8th of April to the 5th of June 2022, in cooperation with the Palace of the Grand Dukes, the Wawel Royal Castle – State Art Collections in Kraków (Poland) and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (Warsaw, Poland), catalogue.

 

The catalogue presents international exhibition "The Mysticism of Baroque Sculpture: Johann Georg Pinsel and Other 18th-century Lviv Masters" which was displayed in the Palace of the Grand Dukes. 

 

The first part of the catalogue presents the work of Johann Georg Pinzel and articles by researchers of the artistic heritage of Western Ukraine. Second part presents the infamous sculptures.

 

Texts in publication are in Lithuanian, English and Ukrainian.

 

Kazys Napaleonas Kitkauskas - Doctor of Humanities, architectural historian, restorer, engineer. 

 

Whatever he was doing, Kitkauskas kept meticulous diaries, in which he consistently recorded his daily work, noted the main finds, some features of the objects under study, and meetings on important issues.

 

The researcher handed over his diaries (31 manuscripts, including notebooks, calendar-type workbooks, etc.), dating from the end of 1967 to 2010, to the Scientific Archive of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.

 

On 5th of January 2021, Dr Kazys Napaleonas Kitkauskas celebrated his 90th birthday. To mark this anniversary, the Palace of the Grand Dukes published some of the diaries and illustrations written by N. Kitkauskas from the author's personal archive.

The scientific catalogue presents in detail the collection of tapestries acquired by the Palace of the Grand Dukes between 2011 and 2021, which is unparalleled not only in Lithuania, but also in other Baltic countries, and has attracted the interest of the international scientific community. The first part of the publication gives an overview of the history of European tapestries, introduces the characteristics of the artistic fabrics, the factors that influenced their quality and value, the most important production centres, commissioners, weavers, artists and traders. All of them have had a decisive influence on the tapestry's astonishing story of glory, the success of which, like the fabrics themselves, has been determined by different artistic, political and economic aspirations and opportunities. The text, which is full of names, dates and titles, is interspersed with stories and comparisons to help us better understand the context, and at times to feel caught up in a whirlwind of historical facts.