Radvilų Nesvyžiaus arsenalas ir jo vertybės
Arsenal and its valuables of the Radziwiłł family in Nesvizh

Summary/Abstract: The article seeks to describe the arsenal of the Nesvizh residence of the Radziwiłł noble family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for the first time in the historiography of Lithuanian applied arts. The arsenal contains artistic armaments, i. e. cannons, collected since the 16th century and produced in the bronze foundry which functioned at the junction of the 16th–17th centuries. The date of the establishment of the foundry and the dates of its most intensive periods of activities, the scope of production and changes in the quantity of production are revised in the article with reference to uninvestigated archival documents and published sources. Certain surnames of previously unknown bronze moulders who worked in Nesvizh have been determined. Yet the greatest attention is paid to the decorations of these military pieces of artillery, which legitimately turn them into pieces of art. On the basis of the surviving studies of the Nesvizh guns that are currently being exhibited in the museums of various countries, the author of the article discusses the cannon decoration motifs, their origin, composition as well as their plastic features, the meaning and significance of the inscriptions.

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