ABOUT THIS COLLECTION  
This collection by Ferdinand van Kessel (1648-1696) comes from “Four Parts of the World,” a group of 68 paintings depicting each of the four main regions, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, all done on luminous copper plates. The allegorical series consists of smaller landscape scenes from the outskirts of notable cities organized around a large central panel, creating four complete works more than five feet in length. But the main role of the outer panels is given not to the cities but to animals. The most fantastical are in Africa and America, since little was known about them, where Van Kessel’s usual observational accuracy gives way to  strange and exotic imaginings.
 
COLLECTION DETAILS
Series title: Ferdinand van Kessel’s Four Parts of the World
Series size: 8 artworks
Edition: Limited edition of 1000
Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarrante proof of ownership.
Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
Medium: Oil on canvas paintings, oil on copper
Artwork materials:  Oil, canvas
Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
ID: 2749212597480566...
 
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Van Kessel learned his trade from his father, Jan van Kessel, who developed an aesthetic inspired by Jan Brueghel the Elder, his grandfather, and specialized in animal paintings. These astonishing landscapes were commissioned by the Polish king, John III Sobieski. After receiving examples of his work, Sobieski invited van Kessel to decorate a large room in Warsaw’s Wilanów Palace. Though Ferdinand never achieved the staturel of his father, he was stylistically true to the famous van Kessel-Brueghel family name and specialized in lush landscapes.
 
COLLECTION CREDITS
Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Artwork: Ferdinand Van Kessel 
Year of original publication: ca. 1689
Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
Editorial: Braden Phillips
Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
Executive production: Victor Zabrockis
 
RIGHTS OVERVIEW
Source of artwork: Wikimedia Commons
Underlying work rights: PD Worldwide
Digital copyrights: PD Worldwide