“For now, only the Hermitage collection is involved in the project” – Kommersant FM

Kommersant FM columnist Dmitry Butkevich talks about which token he became the owner of after taking part in the joint program of the Hermitage and the Interros company.

I remember I promised to tell youwhat kind of token I was lucky enough to purchase as part of a joint program of the State Hermitage and the Interros company called “Digital Art”.

This project aims to direct the achievements of blockchain technologies to the restoration of cultural heritage items. For now, only the Hermitage collection is involved, in the future the project will spread to other museums, regional ones, which even more than the central repositories need support, including restoration. This means that it will not be superfluous for them to attract funds from third-party investors through the sale of tokens.

In simple terms, the essence of the project is that part of the works from the Hermitage that need restoration are digitized, divided into token particles (digital financial assets) and sold to everyone.

The funds received are used for the restoration of these very works, and in this case the buyers receive possession of parts of the frescoes.

So, I purchased this so-called hybrid digital product (HDP). In my case, this is part of a fresco from the school of Raphael Santi, one of the titans of the Renaissance, who worked in the first quarter of the 16th century.

There were three frescoes in total that were subject to hybrid digital law. I chose a token with the face of a goddess – “Venus and Cupid on Dolphins”. I have the right to show it to you.

And in general, for five years I have the rights to reproduce my excerpt, as well as to donate it or otherwise alienate it. For example, I can provide anyone with an electronic link to my fragment, which is valid once.

Anyone who wants to will follow it and receive it for temporary use while the link is open. I can even sell it if there is a buyer, transferring to him my entire hybrid digital right.

It’s curious that if I don’t sell it, then in five years the fragment will remain in my use forever, but I will no longer be able to operate with it.