The Bugatti family was known for producing luxury goods long before they entered the automobile industry. Rembrandt Bugatti gained fame as a talented sculptor in the late 1800s and early 1900s, while Carlo Bugatti specialized in designing and manufacturing Art Nouveau furniture during the same era.
Carlo, father of Ettore Bugatti — who eventually founded the car manufacturing company — once said: “The purest perfect shape of nature is the egg.”
This statement has stayed with the family for generations and served as the impetus for the collaboration between Bugatti and Asprey Studio in early 2022. Now, the two iconic brands are once again blending tradition with innovation with their NFT project: The Asprey Bugatti Egg Collection.
An intricate design
The Asprey Bugatti Egg Collection will be launched both as physical “objet” and generative artwork, with 111 physical eggs linked to Bitcoin NFTs. Much like the luxury cars that share their same name, these eggs won’t come cheap.
“The price for the [Asprey Bugatti] eggs number 1-100 will be between $20-50k,” Ali Walker, Chief Creative Officer of Asprey Studio, told nft now. “[Asprey Bugatti] eggs 100-111 will be $200,000 upwards.”
That high price tag reflects the quality of the materials the NFTs’ physical counterparts are crafted from. The eggshell of the Royale Edition of the Asprey Bugatti Egg Collection is made from carbon fiber and formed into the perfect egg shape during a long and complex process. According to Walker, it is encased within a sterling silver diamond weave lattice, gently angled downwards to a curved base portraying movement and echoes Asprey’s heritage in jewelry and furniture.
The egg’s surface displays a “dancing elephant” motif, recreated in perfect detail from one of Rembrandt Bugatti’s original sculptures. It adorns the bonnet of the Bugatti Type 41 Royale, which Asprey Studio 3D scanned for the project. The shell opens with a complex hinged diamond door to reveal a scene of the Chateau Saint Jean — Bugatti’s home in Molsheim — in front of which is a sterling silver stylized Bugatti Type 41 Royale Esders.
If you want a peek at the Chateau Saint Jean, you’ll have to wait, though. Images of the inside of the egg won’t be revealed until post-mint. What we do know is that the art was designed by Walker and coded by Asprey’s strategic partner, Metagood. Walker says 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.
While a mint day and time have yet to be unveiled (keep an eye on the official website for these), those looking to get their hands on the most expensive NFT inscribed on the Bitcoin blockchain will need to wait even longer for the physical counterpart. Due to the nature of the egg being handmade, it may take up to 12 months to deliver. Meanwhile, the NFT will be redeemable via the smart contract within three-to-five months of the mint date.
The launch of the NFT collection will coincide with the opening of Asprey Studio Gallery at the end of April 2023.
Editor’s note: A prior version of this article attributed a quote to Danny Yang, CEO and founder of Metagood. It has since been updated.
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