Virtual exhibition

Low cylindrical game pieces

Low cylindrical game pieces

To add variety to their leisure time, not only people of the 21st century but also those living in Lithuania between the 12th and 19th centuries found time for various games. It is known that during the 12th–19th centuries a range of board games (such as backgammon, nine men’s morris, draughts, etc.) were played not only from written sources, but also from the game pieces discovered by archaeologists. In total, about three dozen different game pieces have been found in Lithuania during archaeological excavations. Nearly half of them – 15 items – were discovered in the castles of Vilnius.

Inkwell

Inkwell

In the 15th century, inkwells were used only by the literate segment of society—those who needed to write as part of their official duties. During excavations in the territory of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, a particularly distinctive inkwell was discovered in a 15th-century layer. The appearance of inkwells often reflected the owner’s status—the higher the position, the more ornate the inkwell.

Falcon hood

Falcon hood

The archaeological complex of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania is notable not only in Lithuania but also in Europe for the abundance of leather artifacts. All of these objects testify to the practice of falconry among the medieval elite, where trained birds of prey were used to catch game.

The presented hunting bird hood was discovered in 2006. It is made from thin, soft calf leather. The design is simple and undecorated, suggesting it was intended for everyday use.

Revolver

Revolver

During archaeological excavations conducted in 2004–2006, a revolver dating to the late 19th century was discovered. Although the artifact was heavily damaged by corrosion and some parts were missing, restoration revealed that it was a revolver very similar to models produced by the U.S. company Smith & Wesson.

Gaming dice

Gaming dice

In 1991, during archaeological excavations in the inner courtyard of the Grand Dukes’ Palace of the Vilnius Lower Castle, an ivory gaming die was discovered. In the Middle Ages, ivory was considered an extremely valuable material, sometimes even more precious than gold or gemstones.

Mirror frame

Mirror frame

Among the sixteen mirror frames discovered by archaeologists around the Grand Dukes’ Palace of the Vilnius Lower Castle, only three are completely preserved. The third, the best-preserved frame, serves as a standard example of such objects from the late 14th to early 15th century.

Beer bottle caps with inscriptions

Beer bottle caps with inscriptions

The area to the east and southeast of the Grand Dukes Palace of Lithuania remained sparsely built for a long time. After the 1830 uprising, a Tsarist Vilnius fortress was established here; it was later dismantled, and the area was redesigned as Pilies Square – a recreational space for city residents.

Cup-shaped weights

Cup-shaped weights

Weights of this type are standardized weighing instruments forming sets, characterized by a uniform appearance resembling small cups. They were used in Europe from the 16th century onward. A distinctive feature of such sets is that the weight of each smaller piece equals half the weight of the next larger one, while the mass of the largest weight equals the combined weight of all the weights in the set.

Ring casting mould and a ring cast in it

Ring casting mould and a ring cast in it

From the late 13th to the 15th century, goldsmiths’ (jewelers’) workshops also operated in the residence of the Grand Dukes. Here, craftsmen produced objects from precious and non-ferrous metals.

Rock crystal bead

Rock crystal bead

A small carnelian bead was found in a 14th-century craftsman’s belt pouch discovered in the territory of the Vilnius Lower Castle. Beads made of rock crystal and pearl, dated to the late 14th – early 15th century, were also found there.

Pail

Pail

Pail, late 14th–early 15th c., copper alloy, tin coating, iron. This find is not only a unique object used in the Middle Ages. It can also be seen as a source of craftsmanship of the time: its production techniques, the choice of raw materials used, their processing, etc. can be studied. The fact that the bucket was made entirely of copper alloy sheet and had a pewter coating to imitate silver shows that it was not a cheap item available to everyone.

Wooden ball

Wooden ball

Wooden ball, late 14th-early 15th c., pine knob, carving. The earliest known ball games are from Egyptian drawings (c. 1900 BC). There is also evidence from slightly later times in Greece and the Roman Empire. There, they were made from twisted palm leaves, clay or strips of leather. Wooden balls, like leather balls, were used in different games. In one of the possible games, players would try to push the ball into their opponent's hole while protecting their own.

Ring

Ring

Ring, late 14th–early 15th c., copper alloy. During the Middle Ages, various types of rings were worn both in Vilnius and throughout the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Some of these were rings with a wider front part, decorated with ornaments or symbols, engravings. Rings and other jewelry items, as well as signet rings, can be seen at the Palace of the Grand Dukes.

Wafer glass flasks

Wafer glass flasks

Wafer glass flasks, late 16th - early 17th c., glass, tin alloy. Archaeological research on the territory of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania has yielded a valuable collection of glass finds from various periods. Among them, shards of greyish, cloudy glass, decorated with a characteristic fluted relief known as waffle. These small jars have a capacity of approximately 0,31 litres. These bottles are usually classified as 'apothecary's ware' and are thought to have been used for the storage of aromatic oils or spirits.

New Abstraction Chess

New Abstraction Chess

New Abstraction Chess, 17th-18th c., bone. The collection of the Palace of the Grand Dukes contains one chess piece of the New Abstraction dating from the 17th-18th centuries. The authors of the report identified it as a pawn.

Fragments of glass bracelets

Fragments of glass bracelets

Fragments of glass bracelets, late 13th - early 14th c., glass. The extraction of glass masses was learned in the 2nd millennium BC in Egypt and the Middle East. The colour of the glass was imparted by oxides of various metals (e.g. lead, tin, etc.). Glass pulp is used not only for tableware but also for jewellery.

Plate decorated with grape clusters

Plate decorated with grape clusters

Plate decorated with grape clusters, early 17th c., clay, glaze. During the Renaissance period, the majolica decoration technique became popular in ceramic art. This type of ceramic, which appeared in Europe, stood out significantly from the domestic ceramic wares of that time. A considerable number of archaeological ceramic finds decorated using this technique have also been discovered in the territory of the Palace.

Set of knucklebones

Set of knucklebones

Set of knucklebones, early 15th c., cattle bones. Games with the bones of cattle (astragalus) have been popular throughout Europe since antiquity. Raw bones were used for this purpose, so that it was often almost impossible to identify them among the many other bones, mere food waste. However, archaeologists in Lithuania have found bones used for games. It is likely that the set of gaming bones found in the surroundings of the burnt building belonged to the soldiers stationed in the castle.

Newspaper "The London Gazette"

Newspaper "The London Gazette"

The London Gazette, London, 5-8 January 1684, no. 1997, paper. The London Gazette is the oldest newspaper still published in the United Kingdom. It was published twice a week, but its method of distribution was slightly different from today: issues were sent only to subscribers and there was no general distribution. As well as covering the main events in Britain, the paper focused on foreign news.

Caltrop (quadruped)

Caltrop (quadruped)

Caltrop (quadruped), mid-17th c., iron. These small metal devices made up of four prongs have a special design - no matter how you drop them on the ground, one prong will always be pointing upwards. The caltrops were simple and cheap to make and easy to use and adapt.

Vase with lilies

Vase with lilies

Vase with lilies, Rudolf Schrötter, Czechoslovakia, 2nd q. of the 20th c., glass. This heraldic figure - a stylised three-petalled lily blossom with a ribbon - has been found in European heraldry since the 12th century and was considered a symbol of royal power and military virtue.

4711 Eau de Cologne bottle

4711 Eau de Cologne bottle

4711 Eau de Cologne bottle, 1st half of 20th c. Bottles of cologne "4711" are known to have been regularly distributed to Wehrmacht soldiers, especially those in the submarine force. They were given to mothers, wives or girlfriends.

Pins with bird motifs

Pins with bird motifs

Pins have been used since the Stone Age to fasten and decorate clothing and headwear. Early pins were made from bone or horn, and later from base and precious metals, and iron. Some had simple designs, while others featured more elaborate heads.

From the 14th to the 17th centuries, pins were generally smaller than in earlier periods. Most were small, made of copper alloys, often topped with spherical heads; larger pins with various shaped heads were less common.

Brick with dog paw prints

Brick with dog paw prints

Brick with dog paw prints, mid-16th c., clay, mold-formed, fired. The footprint imprinted in the drying clay object is a frozen moment in time, a kind of medieval photograph, which, after many centuries, also becomes a scientific source. It can be assumed that this brick is one of thousands purchased around the mid-16th century, when the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, Sigismund Augustus (1544/1548–1572), began large-scale palace expansion works.

Amulet-Charm Made from a Hare’s Hind Leg Bone

Amulet-Charm Made from a Hare’s Hind Leg Bone

Rabbit's shoe-bone pendant-ball, late 13th - early 14th c., bone (rabbit's shoe-bone). As scholars have noted, the tradition of wearing a hanging-amulet is very old and inseparable from the belief in the magical powers of nature and animals. It is believed that the chosen amulet could represent and confer on the wearer the power and strength of a particular animal, or attract the favour of the deities who protect it.

Round-shaped weights from the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Archaeology Collection

Round-shaped weights from the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Archaeology Collection

The National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Archaeology Collection contains several dozen weights of various shapes, materials and bearing a variety of markings. They were used in different periods and served a range of purposes. For example, some weights were meant for weighing coins or luxury goods, others were used by jewellers, coin minters and pharmacists.

This virtual exhibition presents a group of twelve weights that stand out for their round shape and variety of markings/ornaments. The weights on display are chronologically speaking the earliest weights in the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Archaeology Collection. All of them were found in the first decade of the 21st century during archaeological research of the Vilnius Lower Castle’s Palace of the Grand Dukes territory.

Prints of the Ruins of Emperor Nero's Golden Palace

Prints of the Ruins of Emperor Nero's Golden Palace

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 Oldest Gaming Dice in Vilnius

The Oldest Gaming Dice in Vilnius

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.

Gold Decorative Detail

Gold Decorative Detail

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.

View of Vilnius from Georg Braun's atlas "Civitates orbis terrarum"

View of Vilnius from Georg Braun's atlas "Civitates orbis terrarum"

Georg Braun (1541-1622) was a German theologian, clergyman, cartographer, publisher, and diplomat with a keen interest in the history of cities he visited while travelling extensively in Europe. After encountering the cartographer Frans Hogenberg (c. 1535-1590), Braun conceived the idea of producing an atlas showcasing the world's most renowned cities. The six volumes of the atlas "Civitates orbis terrarum "featured more than 500 plans and panoramic views. While F. Hogenberg drew most plans, Braun handled the collection, publication, and preparation of city descriptions. The first edition of the atlas was published in Cologne between 1572 and 1618, with subsequent reprints in Latin, German, and French.

The Cabinet

The Cabinet

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.

Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great and Ona Vytautienė

Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great and Ona Vytautienė

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.

Marble Bust of Andrea Doria with Column

Marble Bust of Andrea Doria with Column

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.

Painting "Ludovisi Concert"

Painting "Ludovisi Concert"

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).

Campania Coastal Scenery

Campania Coastal Scenery

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.

Table clock

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.

Tapestry "Dragon devouring eggs" (Animal Landscape series)

Tapestry "Dragon devouring eggs" (Animal Landscape series)

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.

Verdure with an ostrich

Verdure with an ostrich

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.

Portuguese plate

Portuguese plate

Portuguese artisans, emulating Chinese techniques, also developed a distinctive style known as aranhões, which flourished between 1635 and 1660. This information helped determine the date of manufacture of the plate discovered.

Gemstones dating to the 13th–17th centuries in archaeological research data from the residence of the Lithuanian Grand Dukes in the Vilnius Lower Castle

Gemstones dating to the 13th–17th centuries in archaeological research data from the residence of the Lithuanian Grand Dukes in the Vilnius Lower Castle

During the course of archaeological research in Vilnius, 25 artefacts were discovered, decorated with 27 gemstones, along with 2 artefacts with stone insets, all dating to the 13th–17th centuries. These were 2 garnets, 8 pearls, 2 chalcedony, 4 turquoise, 2 carnelian and 2 coral pieces, and one each of jasper, quartz, emerald, jet, ruby, diamond, agate, serpentinite and stannite.

Under Gediminas’ feet: archaeological research and the history behind the grand duke’s monument

Under Gediminas’ feet: archaeological research and the history behind the grand duke’s monument

BRICKS WITH PAINTED PLASTER REMNANTS

BRICKS WITH PAINTED PLASTER REMNANTS

The Early Brick Castle in Vilnius is the oldest known brick castle in the territory of present-day Lithuania. The greatest expansion of this castle occurred in the early 14th century (ca 1325–1327), when Lithuania was ruled by Grand Duke Gediminas (1316–1341). It was at this time that an octagonal tower was built on the site of the old defensive tower, while nearby the castle’s western gate towers and defensive wall were erected. Archaeological research conducted around the castle revealed that the earliest brick fortifications in Lithuania’s territory on the foot of Castle Hill in the centre of Vilnius were constructed by the predecessors of Grand Duke Gediminas back in the late 13th century.

POLISHED STONE ARTEFACTS IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM – PALACE OF THE GRAND DUKES OF LITHUANIA

POLISHED STONE ARTEFACTS IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM – PALACE OF THE GRAND DUKES OF LITHUANIA

The archaeological layers uncovered in Vilnius also unveil artefacts from earlier historic periods, such as stone objects from the Stone and Bronze ages.

Late 13th–17th-century gold jewellery in archaeological research data from the Vilnius Lower Castle territory

Late 13th–17th-century gold jewellery in archaeological research data from the Vilnius Lower Castle territory

The Treasury of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania has on display jewellery artefacts made from precious metals and gemstones, found during archaeological excavation.

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