Creative technology solutions for cultural heritage preservation
Our vision for ancient art is to inspire community with innovative cultural heritage preservation, captivating historical storytelling, collaborative synergies with contemporary art, and value discovery among new and generational collectors, via decentralized methods and modern technologies that advance stewardship capabilities to authentically preserve heritage as well as appreciation through experiential engagement, transcending the physical into mixed reality.
ar·ti·fact
an object made by a human being, typically of cultural or historical interest
Bequest NFT Partners or “Bequest.art” brings to market timeless works of art preserved from or representing ancient cultures via deep access to private collections, coupled with high-touch curated services to design creative and unique projects.
The rare, high-end artifacts we bring to market, dating back to 3,000 BC, are accompanied by their meaningful history, relevance for contemporary artistic inspiration, and philanthropic impact. We envision blockchain technology enhancing humanity’s stewardship of cultural heritage, extending commerce into Metaverse economies – transcending the “traditional” model limited to physical space. Our first-to-market ‘Transcendence’ collection is inspired by this idea.
Introducing the Transcendence Collection
The pioneering ‘Transcendence’ collection includes European and Egyptian artifacts from 1st to 4th century BC with museum-level provenance. It represents the first time humanity is empowered by technological evolution to transfer governance of artifact authenticity, ownership and provenance to the blockchain, which also enhances security of virtually preserved heritage assets.
her·it·age
valued objects and qualities such as cultural traditions, passed down from previous generations
Introducing the Mesoamerican Collection
Mesoamerica
36 major cultures plus smaller cultures and city-states of ancient Mexico & Central America, including the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Zapotec, Teotihuacan and Mixtec; with incredible diversity of people, 125+ languages, and deities
Born of the Archaic Era circa 8,000 BC to form the Preclassic Period circa 2,000 BC, and ending the Postclassic Period upon the Spaniards arrival in 1521 to conquer the Aztec Empire, which began the Colonial Period until 1821, during which Mesoamerican culture continued, albeit significantly transformed under Spanish conquest
Modern-day Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua make up Mesoamerica
Cinco Caras Project
The "Cinco Caras" or Five Faces Project here introduces artwork inspired the most influential culture of Mesoamerica – the Olmec. The Project bridges ancient and contemporary art across novel artistic mediums with 3D print and holography, demonstrating that as technology evolves, so does art, with new ‘canvas’ capabilities and commercial blockchain processes becoming part of the art form. The result is 5 unique physical and digital works of art influenced by the 5 elements of Olmec religion, stemming from an evolutionary merger of culture, art and technology – a truly timeless expression over 3,600 years in the making.
Artifact canvas
Inspired by a rare Olmec mask
The Olmec are the first great and ultimate ancestor of Mesoamerican civilization. As the earliest known to lay cultural, academic and political foundations for subsequent cultures, Olmec are considered “The Mother Culture”.
Olmec masks are believed to have been worn around the neck as pendants, providing the wearer identification with an ancestor or deity represented by the mask, perhaps an Olmec rain god.
Olmec art has distinctive qualities, none more than the feline “jaguar mouth” depicting a down-turned open mouth. Representing such a feline man indicated power and divinity as the Jaguar was a known symbol of power. The exotic nature of Olmec-style design became synonymous with elite status, imitated by subsequent cultures in developing towns to bolster their status.
El Juego de Pelota
(The Ballgame)
The Ballgame tradition described here was a sport with important ritual associations played during the pre-Columbian era since 1650 BC by major cultures of Mesoamerica. More than just a game, it had religious significance featured in episodes of mythology. Some cultures combined competitions with religious human sacrifice, where it became literally a game of life or death.
Click on images below for descriptions
The Olmec Cosmogony
Mayan calendar adjustment in Xochicalco
Stonemasons of Teotihuacán
The Surrender of Moctezuma, Aztec Emperor
"Tianguis" open-air market in Tlatelolco
The crowning of Mayan King Pakal
Digi-physical artwork is secured in perpetuity by immutable blockchain applications. Encrypted solutions using NFC technology enable physical art inseparably linked to its non-fungible token (NFT) containing metadata and verifying proof of authenticity, ownership, provenance and possession, as well as providing access to cultural experiences and bespoke services.
NFTs include 3D artwork thoughtfully crafted to represent their physical counterpart, beginning with sub-millimeter precision reality capture modeling techniques that enable diverse artistic expression – rich rendered content and animation, augmented digital and physical facsimile reproductions, inspired contemporary art rooted in historical narrative, innovative display via 3D holography or mixed with AI generative art, immersive and interactive extended reality (XR) applications, and novel inclusion within complementary industries such as hospitality or fashion – the creative and unique possibilities are endless.
an·tiq·ui·ty
the ancient past, especially the period before the Middle Ages
While the desire to own and honor a work of art or piece of history has persisted throughout time, modern innovation has expanded the ownership proposition in ways previously unimaginable, promoting a new generation of artistic forms, creative talent and aspirational collectors. This evolution enables existing collectors to realize the benefit of their collections in non-traditional ways. Bequest NFT Partners provides valuable insight, relationships and curated services to capitalize on these novel opportunities.
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