Carlo Bugatti, was born in 1856 and later begat Ettore Bugatti, who founded the automaker originally known as Automobiles Ettore Bugatti, whose name is attached to modern cars that are very large and go very fast. But Carlo was not a car man, probably because in the 19th century they did not have cars that went very fast. Instead, Carlo was a designer, primarily known for his furniture.
According to a press release from current-day Bugatti issued on Friday, he was also an admirer of the shape of eggs. “The purest perfect shape of nature is the egg,” Carlo apparently once said, probably in part because in Carlo’s lifetime Fabergé eggs were famous. In this spirit, Bugatti said Tuesday that it collaborated with the British luxury goods manufacturer Asprey to create some new eggs. These eggs, unlike Fabergé eggs, have something to do with Bitcoin and blockchain and NFTs, just as Carlo Bugatti might have imagined over a century ago.
From Bugatti’s press release:
The limited-edition collections are backed by blockchain and created by using Asprey Studio’s cutting-edge production techniques and materials. The Asprey Bugatti Egg Collection will be produced both as physical objet and NFT generative artwork. It will be the first ever collection by two luxury brands using a state-of-the-art technique of inscribing digital content on the Bitcoin blockchain, ensuring the artwork will last indefinitely.
[...]
Ali Walker, Chief Creative Officer at Asprey Studio said: “We are proud to present the Asprey Bugatti Egg Collection, not only does this push the boundaries on a production level, but the generative art coded by our strategic partner and Bitcoin experts Metagood using the equation of the egg shape of the actual sculpture as an NFT in Bitcoin is a new form of expression and art itself. The NFT and the sculpture are linked by this equation.”
Now, it does seem that there was quite a bit of effort put into these eggs, aside from all the blockchain/NFT/Bitcoin mumbo-jumbo, with which I’m not even sure who Asprey/Bugatti is trying to fool but whatever.
The eggshell of the Royale Edition, made from carbon fiber and intricately crafted into the perfect egg shape during a long and complex process, is completely free from disproportion or imperfection. It’s encased within a sterling silver diamond weave lattice, gently angled downwards to a curved base portraying movement and echoing Asprey’s heritage in jewelry as well as the ornate furniture designs of Carlo Bugatti and the Art Nouveau, an era significant to both brands.
The surface of the egg itself displays a “Dancing Elephant” motif, recreated in perfect detail from one of Rembrandt Bugatti’s original sculptures. It was this work of art that adorned the bonnet of the Bugatti Type 41 Royale, renowned as the most luxurious car ever created. In order to recreate the sculpture in perfect detail, Asprey Studio travelled to the home of Bugatti in France to accurately 3D scan the bonnet mascot of one of the few remaining Type 41 Royale cars. The sculpture was then recreated in minute detail by Asprey’s expert silversmiths.
The intricate lattice and carbon fiber shell opens with a complex hinged diamond door to reveal a scene of the Chateau Saint Jean – the iconic home of Bugatti in Molsheim – in front of which is a sterling silver stylized Bugatti Type 41 Royale Esders, removable should the owner wish.
Bugatti says that the eggs will be on display (and, presumably, sale) at Asprey’s new gallery in Mayfair, in London’s west end, set to open this month. If you buy one, you’ll have to explain to your friends and family why you didn’t buy several thousand Cadbury Creme Eggs instead, though that is also between you and your god. Surely a chocolate egg is what Carlo Bugatti would have wanted, anyway.
