Virtual exhibition

Franciszek Smuglewicz (1745-1807) was one of the most renowned Lithuanian Classical painters. He received his education at the Jesuit College in Warsaw, studying painting under his father, Lukošius Smuglevičius (Łukasz Smuglewicz; 1709-1780), who served as the court painter of Augustus III (1733-1763), the ruler of the Republic of the Two Nations, and Szymon Czechowicz (1689-1775). As a scholarship student of the Polish-Lithuanian ruler Stanislaw August Poniatowski (1764-1795), Smuglewicz pursued further studies at the St. Luke's Academy of Arts in Rome from 1766. He later returned to Warsaw in 1784 and eventually settled in Vilnius in 1797, where he assumed the role of head and professor of the Department of Drawing and Painting at Vilnius University until his passing in 1807.

The gaming dice is small, 1 × 1 × 1 cm, and made of bone. The arrangement of the dots (6:5, 4:3, 1:2) differs from the pattern used today. At that time, dice featured two types of scoring systems: one similar to the current system (where the sum of the numbers on opposite faces equals 7, i.e. six against 1; 2 against 5, etc.) and an alternative one: 1 against 2; 3 against 4; 5 against 6. Some scholars believe the alternative system was typical from the 12th to the 14th centuries (or even the 16th century). The Vilnius and Kernavė dice, including this one, correspond to this non-modern system.

The treasure, discovered in the southwestern latrine of the 16th- and 17th-century palace, was buried beneath a three-metre-thick cultural layer, which preserved the 2,600 artefacts for centuries before archaeologists unearthed them. This gold adornment is a testament to the palace's daily life among the remnants of clothing, footwear, and household items discovered in the latrine. Some finds, such as pearl necklaces and gold articles, are exceptionally rare.

In the 17th century, Paris emerged as the leading European cabinet-making centre. This period witnessed a surge in the popularity of luxury furniture, particularly those crafted from imported wood like ebony. The artisans who specialized in these exquisite woods were known as ébénistes, a term that set them apart from other furniture artisans.

 

Vytautas the Great is a prominent figure whose influence was enduring during the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and remains significant today. Born in Old Trakai around 1350, Vytautas employed various methods in his struggle for power, including treaties with the Teutonic Knights, with assessments of his activities varying. He was baptized in 1386, taking the name Alexander, and in 1392, he became the deputy of his cousin Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło), the King of Poland, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, assuming the title of Grand Duke. In 1410, Vytautas and Jogaila led armies to a significant victory in the Battle of Žalgiris (also known as the Battle of Grunwald or the Battle of Tannenberg), which marked the defeat of the Teutonic Order. In 1429, a congress of Central and Eastern European rulers convened in Lutsk, discussing crowning Vytautas as King of Lithuania, although the coronation did not occur. Nevertheless, Vytautas's influence and status were recognized by the rulers of Europe at the time. During his reign, Vytautas established a large Grand Duke's office and founded the first known parochial school in Trakai in 1409, rapidly adopting European cultural values.

The bust of Andrea Doria (1466-1560), the Doge of Genoa, with a column, is one of two marble busts housed in the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Crafted from white marble, this expressive sculpture portrays the bearded, mature figure of Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi and Doge of Genoa, adorned with a laurel wreath. 

The painting of the musicians is attributed to the Italian artist Lionello Spada (1576-1622) from Bologna (Northern Italy). This early Baroque artist studied at the school in Bologna, founded by the brothers Annibale and Lodovico Carracci. Spada is considered a follower, if not a pupil, of one of the most famous Italian painters of the 17th century, Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1571-1610). 

Painting on metal surfaces has existed since ancient times. However, metals were only widely used as painting bases for a short time due to their expense, often reserved for other purposes. 

Little is known about Johan Scheirer (Scherer, Scheur, Scheurer), a clockmaker from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Stanisława Link-Lenczowska mentions him in her book. According to the author, Scheirer may have worked in Vilnius in the first half of the 17th century.

The foreground of the verdiura is composed of herbaceous plants on a larger scale, depicted in a naturalistic manner. The central figure of the surviving part of the fabric - a winged dragon devouring eggs in a pit - is seen slightly higher up at the left edge of the composition. The figure of the fantastic animal allowed the artist to convey many different textures: the webbed feet, the wings resembling the fins of a fish, the fur-covered body, and the ornamented tail of a slug. 

This magnificent, elegant verdure depicting birds and animals against a natural background belongs to a group of verdures common during the Renaissance. The foreground depicts an ostrich. In front of it, a nightingale perches in the foliage of a bush. Behind the ostrich is a pair of turkeys on a smaller scale. To the left of the ostrich, a cat or lynx is eating a hunted bird in a cave curled up under some roots, while to the right are figures of unidentified small animals.