Stories that come home

Recently, the Great Britain “Sworders” auction featured exceptional treasures that once belonged to the Trakai Vokė Manor and the Tiškevičiai family. These are not just luxurious silver-gilded cutlery, plates and table baskets – they are authentic witnesses to the everyday life and representative life of the manor. Many of them bear the coat of arms of the Tiškevičiai family, and their origin is carefully documented: from the Trakai Vokė Manor to its last owner, Countess Ana Marija Janina Tiškevič (nee Radvilaitė), who in 1939, at the outbreak of World War II, was forced to flee to England with her three children, taking part of the family’s wealth with her.

After more than eight decades, these items appeared publicly on the art market for the first time.

The Trakai Vokė Manor team participated in the auction, hoping to return at least some of these historical treasures to their rightful home. Unfortunately, during the auction, the prices rose much higher than expected, so there was no chance to compete to the end.

However, there is good news.

All these valuables of the Tiškevičius family have left for Lithuania. Although the identity of the new owner is not publicly known, we sincerely hope that in the future these valuables will be presented to the public and at least temporarily return to where their story began – to the Trakai Vokė Manor.

Cultural heritage has not only material, but also emotional value. Each surviving item tells about people, houses, traditions and historical turning points. And sometimes even an unsuccessful attempt to recover a fragment of the past becomes an important part of history.

We invite you to admire the dishes, photo. “Sworders” auction.