{ "schema": "ab5d-series-essay/1", "identity": { "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "projectId": 506, "slug": "quine-by-larva-labs", "title": "Quine", "artistCredit": "Larva Labs", "artistDossierUrls": [] }, "revision": 2, "researchCutoff": "2026-09-20", "status": "published-with-research-limitations", "facts": [ { "id": "minted-count", "topic": "mint", "value": 497, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "reported", "note": "Current index invocations, equal to maximum on this completed project." }, { "id": "max-invocations", "topic": "mint", "value": 497, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "reported" }, { "id": "first-mint", "topic": "mint", "value": "2025-10-06T16:16:23+00:00", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "reported", "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S02", "S04" ] }, { "id": "activated-at", "topic": "mint", "value": "2025-10-06T14:32:11+00:00", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "reported" }, { "id": "start-datetime", "topic": "mint", "value": "2025-10-09T16:00:00+00:00", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "reported" }, { "id": "completed-at", "topic": "mint", "value": "2025-10-10T19:16:11+00:00", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "reported", "note": null }, { "id": "license-label", "topic": "rights", "value": "NFT License", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "reported", "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S02", "S06" ] }, { "id": "script-type", "topic": "construction", "value": "custom@na", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "verified", "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S02", "S03" ] }, { "id": "historic-unit-price-eth", "topic": "mint", "value": null, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "status": "unknown", "note": "No contemporaneous primary price table recovered this session.", "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S01", "S02" ] } ], "rights": { "artwork": { "reportedLabel": "NFT License", "category": "custom", "termsUrl": null, "observedAt": "2026-09-20", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "note": "Label copied from projects_metadata.license. Unversioned CC strings are not inferred as 4.0.", "unresolvedConflicts": [], "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S02", "S06" ] }, "code": { "reportedLabel": null, "category": "unknown", "termsUrl": null, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "note": "No separate artist-code licence field was present on the project record.", "unresolvedConflicts": [], "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S02", "S03" ] }, "thirdParty": [ { "name": "custom runtime", "reportedLabel": "unspecified custom runtime", "category": "custom", "termsUrl": null, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "note": "Runtime custom@na.", "unresolvedConflicts": [] } ] }, "sections": [ { "id": "the-work-and-its-context", "heading": "The work and its context", "bodyMarkdown": "Quine is project 506 on the Art Blocks contract `0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77`. The index records 497 invocations against a maximum of 497, the runtime `custom@na`, an aspect ratio of 0.5625 (9:16) and the licence label \"NFT License\", linked to nftlicense.org [^S01]. Its project text calls it \"Larva Labs' contribution to the final Art Blocks Curated series\" [^S01].\n\nA quine is a program whose output is its own source code. Each Quine is a coloured pattern on a 78 by 148 grid, and the program that drew it is typeset into the cells of that pattern [^S02]. Run the listing and it draws the next image. Larva Labs, the studio of Matt Hall and John Watkinson, frame this as a loop between code and art: \"Code Generates Art ⇄ Art Generates Code\" [^S02]. The project text compares it to DNA, a program that makes the cell and also a copy of itself [^S01].\n\nThe work closes a long arc for the studio. Its Glyph engine takes its algorithm from Autoglyphs, Larva Labs' earlier on-chain generative work [^S03]. The studio told OpenSea that Quine was its first major project in four years [^S04]. Right Click Save reported it as the final project in the Curated series [^S05]." }, { "id": "conception-and-development", "heading": "Conception and development", "bodyMarkdown": "In the OpenSea interview, Hall and Watkinson start from the platform itself: on Art Blocks \"the artist submits only their algorithm, which is run by the collectors during the minting process\" [^S04]. They add that \"most people who collect Art Blocks will never actually see the code that generates their pieces\". Quine puts that code on the surface [^S04].\n\nThat set a hard constraint. As the studio wrote in its release essay, \"the entirety of the code that generated the artwork had to fit into the artwork\" [^S02]. They met it with \"code golf\", compressing the program until it fitted a grid of about 11,500 cells while still reading as code [^S04][^S02]. The result is a two-level design. A parent generator, the Art Blocks script, writes a much smaller child generator for each token, and only the child is shown [^S01][^S03]. Larva Labs' project page describes that child as assembled from snippets for the engine, symmetry, colour and text layout [^S03].\n\nThe studio tested whole editions before release. It told OpenSea that each simulated full set of 497 outputs held a few that surprised them [^S04]." }, { "id": "how-the-work-was-constructed", "heading": "How the work was constructed", "bodyMarkdown": "The program is two script parts that concatenate to 36,792 bytes, SHA-256 `9a531132c0dc817b3f35fd6f280c43ba3a5a8a92cd389088ef03ab6d2ff757d9`. It was retrieved from the Art Blocks index on 20 September 2026 and read in full [^S01]. It is a complete HTML page with an SVG canvas of 1,440 by 2,560 units and no external library [^S01].\n\nThe parent seeds an sfc32 generator from four slices of the token hash and draws, in order, a Quinity, an Engine, a Code mode, a Chrome palette, a symmetry and a Space [^S01]. It then fills a template with those choices, strips the unused blocks and hands the child its own seed. The child uses a separate Park-Miller generator. It draws the pattern, finds runs of cells to hold text, and writes its own source into them, one character per cell, ending with a signature line such as \"Quine 390.1 by Larva Labs\" [^S01][^S06].\n\n| Trait | Rule in the code | Published count of 497 |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Engine: Shape, Ribbon, Glyph, Force, Lattice | 20% each | 92, 93, 115, 89, 108 |\n| Quinity: Pseudo, Perfect, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 | 2%, 4%, 20%, 30%, 22%, 14%, 8% | 7, 15, 91, 158, 124, 68, 34 |\n| Code: Liminal | 50% on Lattice, 10% on Shape and Force, 20% otherwise | 42 of 108, 5 of 92, 7 of 89, 23 of 115 (Glyph), 11 of 93 (Ribbon) |\n| Space: Euclidean | 70% on Shape, 20% on Force, 0% on Glyph, 30% otherwise | 67 of 92, 19 of 89, 0 of 115, 36 of 108 (Lattice), 21 of 93 (Ribbon) |\n| Chrome | 20 weighted palettes; X only on Lattice | RO 41 most common, X 5 least |\n\nCounts are from the index; the rules are from the code [^S01]. \"Subliminal\" places the code in coloured cells, in pale text. \"Liminal\" places it in the empty cells, in dark text [^S01][^S02]. Quinity sets how many generations the listing passes through before it returns to itself. A 3-Quine's listing draws a second image, whose listing draws a third, whose listing draws the first again [^S02][^S03]. Larva Labs' field guide glosses the Chrome codes as colour initials, such as K for black, S for sky blue and X for fluorescent orange [^S06].\n\nThe display is set by the collector. The script reads a \"generation\" value from the token's post parameters and renders that generation, defaulting to the first [^S01]. The artist's display notes confirm that owners of multi-generation Quines can choose which one appears as the main image, and change it at any time [^S01]." }, { "id": "quirks-in-the-algorithm", "heading": "Quirks in the algorithm", "bodyMarkdown": "A full read of the program, checked against all 497 token records by re-running the trait function for every hash, turned up the following.\n\n1. **Traits are rejection-sampled, and 47 tokens were redrawn.** Before rendering, the script test-runs every generation of the child program. If the code cannot fit the pattern, it discards the whole draw and starts again from a shifted seed [^S01]. Our re-run of the trait function matches the published traits on the first draw for 450 tokens. The other 47 match only a later draw: 42 on the second, four on the third (#106, #135, #173, #359) and one, #347, on the fourth (own computation) [^S01]. Of the 47 rejected first drafts, 29 were Shape and 13 Ribbon.\n2. **Why the published mix drifts from the weights.** Those rejections are not random. Twelve of the 13 rejected Ribbons were Liminal, which helps explain why only 11 of 93 Ribbons are Liminal against a written 20 per cent. Shape lost more first drafts than any other engine, which fits its low final count of 92 against Glyph's 115 (own computation) [^S01].\n3. **Two finished engines that can never run.** The code contains full \"Field\" and \"Motif\" engines, including a random-walk motif builder. The engine draw only offers the other five, so neither can appear (code reading) [^S01]. The Motif branch also contains an addition that would join two strings instead of adding two numbers; it is unreachable.\n4. **Two palettes both called BX.** On any engine other than Lattice, a BX draw is swapped for an alternative with wider blue and black bands and the same name. Of the 18 BX Quines, only the four Lattices use the palette that the name stands for in the table (code reading) [^S01].\n5. **Palettes that are checked for but do not exist.** A rule rerolls \"S7\" and \"S16\" palettes on Glyph outputs, but no palettes of those names are defined. A further palette, \"RTSP\", is commented out [^S01].\n6. **Symmetry is drawn but not published.** Every token draws a symmetry, and the lines that would label it are commented out [^S01]. The field guide treats it as an unofficial trait [^S06]. The chances vary by engine: Force can be mirrored left to right or in both axes but never top to bottom alone, never diagonally, and never without symmetry. Elliptic Glyphs are never mirrored left to right alone. Only Lattice and Ribbon can have no symmetry, as in #390 (code reading) [^S01].\n7. **Rules found in the published data.** All 115 Glyphs are Non-Euclidean, and all five X palettes are Lattices (#129, #138, #331, #334, #484) [^S01].\n8. **The Pseudo-Quine is almost infinite.** A Pseudo-Quine's next generation number is its current number plus one, forced to a 32-bit integer. It does not loop in any practical sense, but the integer wraps after about four billion steps (code reading) [^S01]. The field guide calls such Quines \"effectively infinite\" [^S06]. The pre-render test checks only the first 13 generations.\n9. **Test-only padding.** In test mode the child carries a block of filler comment, so that the fit test runs against a longer listing than the one finally drawn (code reading) [^S01]. The signature \"by Larva Labs\" is stored base64-encoded in the template and decoded when the listing is written.\n10. **Fonts are the viewer's.** The text is set in the generic `monospace` family, so the letterforms in a live view depend on the viewer's system (code reading) [^S01]." }, { "id": "the-most-coveted-variants", "heading": "The most coveted variants", "bodyMarkdown": "Quine is young, and the sources inspected do not yet record a stable hierarchy of grails. The traits the studio itself highlights, and the smallest trait groups in the index, suggest where attention goes [^S06][^S01].\n\n**X chrome (5 of 497).** The rarest palette pairs black with fluorescent orange, and occurs only on Lattices [^S01][^S06]. #129 is a Liminal 7-Quine: black bars and orange arcs mirrored in both axes. #484 is one of the Quines held at the artist address [^S01].\n\n![Quine #129: horizontal black bars crossed by fluorescent orange curves, mirrored in both axes](https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000129.png)\n*Quine #129, X chrome, one of five. Render: Art Blocks media proxy.*\n\n**Pseudo-Quines (7) and Perfect-Quines (15).** These are the two ends of Quinity. A Pseudo-Quine never returns to its starting image; a Perfect-Quine only ever draws itself [^S02][^S03]. The Pseudo-Quines are #12, #70, #115, #142, #192, #426 and #489. #12 is a teal and black Lattice mirrored left to right (symmetry by own computation) [^S01].\n\n![Quine #12: a teal and black Lattice pattern mirrored left to right, like a woven mask](https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000012.png)\n*Quine #12, a Pseudo-Quine. Render: Art Blocks media proxy.*\n\n**Liminal code (88).** In a Liminal Quine the listing floats in the gaps of the pattern, in dark text [^S02]. The field guide names a further unofficial variant: the \"Nude Quine\", where a Liminal generation sets all its code in one large block, with #485, generation 7, as its example [^S06]. #3 is a Liminal Force in the RM chrome [^S01].\n\n![Quine #3: a pale field framed by magenta and black bands, with dark code filling the open spaces](https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000003.png)\n*Quine #3, a Liminal Force. Render: Art Blocks media proxy.*\n\n**The Perfect Sig.** The guide also names Quines whose signature line \"Quine NNN.M by Larva Labs\" lands intact on a line of its own, citing #164, generation 1 [^S06]. Because the generation shown is the owner's choice, both of these unofficial traits belong to a generation, not only to a token [^S01][^S06].\n\n**AB5D's example.** #390, pictured at the top, is a Liminal, Non-Euclidean Lattice 7-Quine in RM, the fourth most common chrome [^S01]. It has no symmetry, which is possible only for Lattice and Ribbon (code reading) [^S01]." }, { "id": "notable-collectors", "heading": "Notable collectors", "bodyMarkdown": "At retrieval the 497 Quines were held by 316 addresses, 243 of them holding one [^S01]. The largest holding, 13, sits at the address the index records as the artist's. The next two hold 12 and 11; no source inspected names them [^S01]. The VERSE series page reported a highest sale of $112,977 without naming the token or buyer [^S07]. No museum acquisition of a Quine was found." }, { "id": "quine-in-physical-form", "heading": "Quine in physical form", "bodyMarkdown": "Art Blocks showed Quine at Art Basel Miami Beach, 3 to 7 December 2025, in Zero 10, the fair's new digital-art sector [^S08]. The booth presented all 497 works in a custom vitrine, alongside ten signed, framed artist proofs selected by Larva Labs and offered through Art Blocks [^S08]. The developer Jonnie Hallman built an animation for the show that prints and scans each Quine and runs its extracted code to make the next one, shown on a 4K display [^S09]. A newsletter account describes framed prints, a grid table and an 8.5-minute looped animation at the booth [^S10]. Art Blocks' release video on YouTube is titled \"Quine by Larva Labs\" [^S11].\n\n![Quine #0: an orange, blue and purple Force pattern mirrored left to right, like a stylised figure](https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000000.png)\n*Quine #0, minted three days before the auction and held at the artist address. Render: Art Blocks media proxy.*" }, { "id": "the-mint", "heading": "The mint", "bodyMarkdown": "**Why the index shows 497.** The sales notes in the project record give the split: \"477 artworks will be available in the October 9 ranked auction with settlement. The remaining 20 artworks are reserved by the artist\" [^S01]. The index bears this out (own computation) [^S01]:\n\n- **1** token, #0, was minted on 6 October 2025 at 16:16:23 UTC, three days before the sale opened, to the artist address.\n- **477** tokens, #1 to #477, were minted on 10 October between 16:11:11 and 16:19:23 UTC, after the 24-hour auction closed and settled.\n- **19** tokens, #478 to #496, were minted together at 19:16:11 UTC that day, all to the artist address.\n\nThat gives 1 + 477 + 19 = 497, of which 20 were the artist's reserve [^S01]. The project's maximum is set to 497, so no more can be minted [^S01]. Of the 20 reserved Quines, 13 remain at the artist address (#0, #480 to #485, #489 to #493 and #496). The other seven have moved on, as the sales notes' \"released at a later date\" allows [^S01]. No source inspected explains why 497 was chosen rather than a rounder figure. Art Blocks' announcement of the Art Blocks 500 collection counted 495 flagship projects and expected 500 by November 2025, so the number is not an edition-size rule of that collection [^S12].\n\nThe auction opened on 9 October at noon Eastern time [^S02]. A post relayed by KuCoin gave a starting price of 0.25 ETH [^S13]. The clearing price was 7.56 ETH, reported as about $31,000, per Phemex and Hallman [^S14][^S09]. Phemex also reported early resales at 8.9 and 9.45 ETH [^S14]. The index's price field reads 0, since settlement pricing is not stored there. Its lowest listing at retrieval was 2.12 ETH [^S01]." }, { "id": "copyright-and-licensing", "heading": "Copyright and licensing", "bodyMarkdown": "The index records \"NFT License\" with a link to nftlicense.org [^S01]. The program carries no separate code licence, even though the program is the image. Collectors own an output whose visible content is Larva Labs' source code (code reading) [^S01]." }, { "id": "significance-and-limitations", "heading": "Significance and limitations", "bodyMarkdown": "Quine closes the Curated series with a work about the thing every Art Blocks project shares and almost none shows: the program [^S04][^S05]. Its structure is recursive, since each token is an image that is also its own next generation, and collectors choose which generation stands for the token [^S01][^S02]. The code also shows a cost of that ambition that the published traits hide. About one token in ten had its first draw of traits thrown away because the code would not fit (own computation) [^S01].\n\nUnresolved research questions:\n\n1. Why 497? The sales notes explain the split into 477 and 20, but no source found explains the total. Larva Labs could be asked directly.\n2. Where did the seven reserved Quines that left the artist address go, and are they the ten framed artist proofs shown in Miami, or unrelated?\n3. The field guide's Quinity figures, as extracted by an automated fetch, did not match the index; the page should be read by hand. The OpenSea and release-essay quotations above also came from automated extraction and should be checked.\n4. Which Quine was the $112,977 sale reported by VERSE, and when?\n5. The Right Click Save interview and The Defiant's auction report did not load in full; X posts by Larva Labs and Art Blocks about the auction remain leads." } ], "examples": [ { "id": "E01", "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "tokenId": "506000000", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000000", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "selectionNote": "Specified candidate invocation 0.", "observationNote": "Inspected media-proxy PNG is 1350x2400px, mid-tone and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 173,172,178). File size 315211 bytes. Indexed features: Code Subliminal; Space Euclidean; Chrome SPO; Engine Force; Quinity 3-Quine", "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S04", "S05", "S09" ] }, { "id": "E02", "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "tokenId": "506000001", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000001", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "selectionNote": "Specified candidate invocation 1.", "observationNote": "Inspected media-proxy PNG is 1350x2400px, mid-tone and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 182,155,155). File size 218697 bytes. Indexed features: Code Subliminal; Space Non-Euclidean; Chrome RO; Engine Shape; Quinity 3-Quine", "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S04", "S05", "S09" ] }, { "id": "E03", "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "tokenId": "506000010", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000010", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "selectionNote": "Specified candidate invocation 10.", "observationNote": "Inspected media-proxy PNG is 1350x2400px, light and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 174,198,190). File size 259866 bytes. Indexed features: Code Subliminal; Space Non-Euclidean; Chrome BCT; Engine Lattice; Quinity 5-Quine", "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S04", "S05", "S09" ] }, { "id": "E04", "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "tokenId": "506000020", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000020", "sourceIds": [ "S01" ], "selectionNote": "Specified candidate invocation 20.", "observationNote": "Inspected media-proxy PNG is 1350x2400px, mid-tone and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 189,149,152). File size 209097 bytes. Indexed features: Code Subliminal; Space Non-Euclidean; Chrome RM; Engine Ribbon; Quinity 2-Quine", "previousRevisionSourceIds": [ "S04", "S05", "S09" ] } ], "mediaIds": [], "provenance": { "operator": "Grok research session for coordinator handoff", "agent": "OpenAI Codex (editorial synthesis)", "model": null, "modelVersion": null, "tools": [ "Hasura GraphQL", "media-proxy PNG retrieval", "canonical token HEAD checks", "full script read" ], "humanEditorialInvolvement": "Editorial synthesis of the earlier essay and supplied revision, published at Phil’s request. Research limitations retained.", "originalProseLicense": "CC0-1.0", "revisionAttribution": "AB5D editorial synthesis of the supplied revision and earlier essay. Supplied-revision author and model were not specified. Earlier research provenance is retained in previousRevisionResearch.", "revisionUsage": null, "generation": null }, "codeInspection": { "url": "https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql", "locator": "projects_metadata.script where slug=_eq quine-by-larva-labs", "sha256": "9a531132c0dc817b3f35fd6f280c43ba3a5a8a92cd389088ef03ab6d2ff757d9", "retrievedAt": "2026-09-19T00:00:00+00:00", "method": "graphql-post-full-script-read", "executed": false, "chainBlock": null }, "editorialExceptions": [], "manuscriptFormat": "supplied-markdown", "manuscriptPreamble": "# Quine by Larva Labs\n\n*Art Blocks Curated, project 506 · 497 outputs · minted 6 to 10 October 2025 · NFT License*\n\n![Quine #390: a Liminal Lattice in the RM chrome, magenta and black bars drifting diagonally across a pale ground, with dark code set in the gaps](https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000390.png)\n*Quine #390, a Liminal, Non-Euclidean Lattice 7-Quine in the RM chrome, held by AB5D. Render: Art Blocks media proxy.*\n\n", "bibliographyMarkdown": "\n### Primary\n\n[^S01]: Art Blocks public GraphQL index, `projects_metadata` for project 506 (including the full program, sales notes and artist display notes) and `tokens_metadata` for all 497 tokens. Retrieved 20 September 2026 via https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql. Collection page: https://www.artblocks.io/collection/quine-by-larva-labs\n[^S02]: Larva Labs, \"Code Generates Art ⇄ Art Generates Code\", 2 October 2025. https://larvalabs.com/writing/2025-10-2-18-0/code-generates-art-art-generates-code (also published by Art Blocks: https://www.artblocks.io/articles/quines-larva-labs-final-curated)\n[^S03]: Larva Labs, \"Quine\" project page. https://www.larvalabs.com/quine\n[^S06]: Larva Labs, \"A Field Guide to Quine\", 4 November 2025. https://larvalabs.com/writing/2025-11-4-18-0/a-field-guide-to-quine\n\n### Video and audio\n\n[^S11]: \"Quine by Larva Labs\", Art Blocks Official, YouTube (title and channel confirmed via oEmbed, 20 September 2026; not watched for this draft). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFST-HMBm4k\n[^S09]: Jonnie Hallman, \"Animating Quines for Larva Labs\", 16 December 2025. https://destroytoday.com/blog/animating-quines-for-larva-labs\n\n### Criticism, collecting and market\n\n[^S04]: Hannah Vanek, \"In Conversation With Matt and John of Larva Labs\", OpenSea, 9 October 2025. https://opensea.io/blog/articles/in-conversation-with-matt-and-john-of-larva-labs\n[^S05]: Louis Jebb, \"Larva Labs to Release Final Art Blocks Curated Project\", Right Click Save, 2 October 2025. https://www.rightclicksave.com/article/larva-labs-to-release-final-art-blocks-curated-project-quine-news\n[^S07]: VERSE, \"Quine by Larva Labs\" series page, market data read 20 September 2026. https://verse.works/series/quine-by-larva-labs\n[^S08]: Art Blocks, \"Art Blocks at Art Basel Miami: Presenting Quine by Larva Labs\". https://www.artblocks.io/articles/art-basel-miami-presenting-quine-larva-labs\n[^S10]: Lazy.com, \"Newsletter #244: Animating Quines\", 26 December 2025. https://lazynfts.substack.com/p/newsletter-244-animating-quines\n[^S12]: Art Blocks, \"Introducing Art Blocks 500\". https://www.artblocks.io/articles/art-blocks-500-complete-collection\n[^S13]: KuCoin News, \"Larva Labs Quine - 477 public editions mint Oct 9-10, 2025\" (summary of an X post). https://www.kucoin.com/news/insight/ETH/68dee08cc01dfa0006393f07\n[^S14]: Phemex News, \"Larva Labs' 'Quine' NFT Auction Nets Over $30,000 Per Piece\", 10 October 2025. https://phemex.com/news/article/larva-labs-quine-nft-auction-nets-over-30000-per-piece-25599\n\n### Further reading\n\n- Louis Jebb, \"Larva Labs on Quine and Code as Art\", Right Click Save, October 2025 (not read in full). https://www.rightclicksave.com/article/larva-labs-on-quine-and-code-as-art-interview-generative-art\n- Squiffs, \"Larva Labs Art Blocks Auction Surpasses $30,000\", The Defiant, 10 October 2025 (body did not load). https://thedefiant.io/news/nfts-and-web3/larva-labs-art-blocks-auction-surpasses-usd30-000\n- Tekedia, \"Quine by Larva Labs Launches on Art Blocks\". https://www.tekedia.com/quine-by-larva-labs-launches-on-art-blocks-vibestr-launches-amid-good-vibes-club-adoption-as-roger-vers-48m-settlement-with-us-doj/\n", "referenceOrder": [ "S01", "S02", "S03", "S04", "S05", "S06", "S07", "S08", "S09", "S10", "S11", "S12", "S13", "S14" ], "previousRevisionResearch": { "facts": [ { "id": "minted-count", "topic": "mint", "value": 497, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02" ], "status": "reported", "note": "Current index invocations, equal to maximum on this completed project." }, { "id": "max-invocations", "topic": "mint", "value": 497, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02" ], "status": "reported" }, { "id": "first-mint", "topic": "mint", "value": "2025-10-06T16:16:23+00:00", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02", "S04" ], "status": "reported" }, { "id": "activated-at", "topic": "mint", "value": "2025-10-06T14:32:11+00:00", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02" ], "status": "reported" }, { "id": "start-datetime", "topic": "mint", "value": "2025-10-09T16:00:00+00:00", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02" ], "status": "reported" }, { "id": "completed-at", "topic": "mint", "value": "2025-10-10T19:16:11+00:00", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02" ], "status": "reported", "note": null }, { "id": "license-label", "topic": "rights", "value": "NFT License", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02", "S06" ], "status": "reported" }, { "id": "script-type", "topic": "construction", "value": "custom@na", "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02", "S03" ], "status": "verified" }, { "id": "historic-unit-price-eth", "topic": "mint", "value": null, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S01", "S02" ], "status": "unknown", "note": "No contemporaneous primary price table recovered this session." } ], "rights": { "artwork": { "reportedLabel": "NFT License", "category": "custom", "termsUrl": null, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02", "S06" ], "note": "Label copied from projects_metadata.license. Unversioned CC strings are not inferred as 4.0.", "unresolvedConflicts": [] }, "code": { "reportedLabel": null, "category": "unknown", "termsUrl": null, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S02", "S03" ], "note": "No separate artist-code licence field was present on the project record.", "unresolvedConflicts": [] }, "thirdParty": [ { "name": "custom runtime", "reportedLabel": "unspecified custom runtime", "category": "custom", "termsUrl": null, "observedAt": "2026-09-19", "sourceIds": [ "S03" ], "note": "Runtime custom@na.", "unresolvedConflicts": [] } ] }, "examples": [ { "id": "E01", "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "tokenId": "506000000", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000000", "sourceIds": [ "S04", "S05", "S09" ], "selectionNote": "Specified candidate invocation 0.", "observationNote": "Inspected media-proxy PNG is 1350x2400px, mid-tone and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 173,172,178). File size 315211 bytes. Indexed features: Code Subliminal; Space Euclidean; Chrome SPO; Engine Force; Quinity 3-Quine" }, { "id": "E02", "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "tokenId": "506000001", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000001", "sourceIds": [ "S04", "S05", "S09" ], "selectionNote": "Specified candidate invocation 1.", "observationNote": "Inspected media-proxy PNG is 1350x2400px, mid-tone and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 182,155,155). File size 218697 bytes. Indexed features: Code Subliminal; Space Non-Euclidean; Chrome RO; Engine Shape; Quinity 3-Quine" }, { "id": "E03", "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "tokenId": "506000010", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000010", "sourceIds": [ "S04", "S05", "S09" ], "selectionNote": "Specified candidate invocation 10.", "observationNote": "Inspected media-proxy PNG is 1350x2400px, light and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 174,198,190). File size 259866 bytes. Indexed features: Code Subliminal; Space Non-Euclidean; Chrome BCT; Engine Lattice; Quinity 5-Quine" }, { "id": "E04", "chainId": 1, "contract": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "tokenId": "506000020", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000020", "sourceIds": [ "S04", "S05", "S09" ], "selectionNote": "Specified candidate invocation 20.", "observationNote": "Inspected media-proxy PNG is 1350x2400px, mid-tone and muted or near-neutral (mean RGB 189,149,152). File size 209097 bytes. Indexed features: Code Subliminal; Space Non-Euclidean; Chrome RM; Engine Ribbon; Quinity 2-Quine" } ], "provenance": { "operator": "Grok research session for coordinator handoff", "agent": "Grok", "model": "Grok 4.6", "modelVersion": null, "tools": [ "Hasura GraphQL", "media-proxy PNG retrieval", "canonical token HEAD checks", "full script read" ], "humanEditorialInvolvement": "none in this draft", "originalProseLicense": "CC0-1.0" }, "codeInspection": { "url": "https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql", "locator": "projects_metadata.script where slug=_eq quine-by-larva-labs", "sha256": "9a531132c0dc817b3f35fd6f280c43ba3a5a8a92cd389088ef03ab6d2ff757d9", "retrievedAt": "2026-09-19T00:00:00+00:00", "method": "graphql-post-full-script-read", "executed": false, "chainBlock": null }, "sources": [ { "id": "S01", "author": "Art Blocks", "title": "Quine by Larva Labs collection page", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/collection/quine-by-larva-labs", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "https-get", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "collection header and description for slug quine-by-larva-labs", "edition size and project identity projectId 506" ] }, { "id": "S02", "author": "Art Blocks Hasura index", "title": "projects_metadata record for quine-by-larva-labs", "url": "https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "graphql-post", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "query projects_metadata where slug=_eq quine-by-larva-labs; fields project_id,license,invocations,max_invocations,first_token_minted_at,activated_at,start_datetime,completed_at,script_type_and_version,description,website", "returned project_id 506 contract_address 0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77" ] }, { "id": "S03", "author": "Larva Labs", "title": "Quine on-chain artist program", "url": "https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "graphql-post", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "projects_metadata.script for slug quine-by-larva-labs; SHA-256 9a531132c0dc817b3f35fd6f280c43ba3a5a8a92cd389088ef03ab6d2ff757d9; 36792 UTF-8 bytes", "full script 36792 bytes SHA-256 9a531132c0dc817b3f35fd6f280c43ba3a5a8a92cd389088ef03ab6d2ff757d9" ] }, { "id": "S04", "author": "Art Blocks Hasura index", "title": "tokens_metadata for sampled Quine token IDs", "url": "https://artblocks-mainnet.hasura.app/v1/graphql", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "graphql-post", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "tokens_metadata where token_id in sampled set and contract_address = 0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77", "returned token_id, invocation, minted_at, owner_address, hash, features" ] }, { "id": "S05", "author": "Art Blocks", "title": "Canonical token pages for sampled Quine outputs", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000000", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "https-head", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "HEAD https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000000 status 200", "matching HEAD 200 on the other three sampled canonical token URLs" ] }, { "id": "S06", "author": "Art Blocks project record", "title": "Reported artwork licence label NFT License", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/collection/quine-by-larva-labs", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "https-get", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "project license field exactly 'NFT License'", "deed or project page text as cited; unversioned labels are not rewritten as 4.0" ] }, { "id": "S07", "author": "Larva Labs", "title": "Quine official description", "url": "https://larvalabs.com/writing/2025-10-2-18-0/code-generates-art-art-generates-code", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "https-get", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "official indexed description used as the development account" ] }, { "id": "S08", "author": "Art Blocks", "title": "AB5D linked wallet set and profile index", "url": "https://www.artblocks.io/profile/ab5d", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "https-get-and-graphql", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "GraphQL user_profiles where username=_eq ab5d; linked_accounts.public_address returned three addresses", "profile page HTTP 200 also listing 0xdd19308a9731cdecb67e0d80ca6823394208c045" ] }, { "id": "S09", "author": "Art Blocks media proxy", "title": "Static PNG renders of sampled Quine tokens", "url": "https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000000.png", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "https-get", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "downloaded PNG https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000000.png", "same proxy pattern for the other sampled token IDs used in visualObservations" ] }, { "id": "S10", "author": "Art Blocks", "title": "Live generator renderer for Quine", "url": "https://generator.artblocks.io/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000000", "publicationDate": null, "accessedAt": "2026-09-19", "accessMethod": "https-get", "accessOutcome": "inspected", "evidenceLocators": [ "generator.artblocks.io live document for token 506000000", "used to distinguish preview PNG halt-state from the original renderer" ] } ] }, "suppliedRevision": { "batch": "ab500-essays-batch-02", "date": "2026-09-20", "sourceFile": "quine-by-larva-labs.md", "sourceSha256": "b2e47102b9a326663383ead96e570e75ab5b0a4f75510bc45fc2589ad72f024e", "sourceCount": 14, "imageCount": 5, "headerLine": "Art Blocks Curated, project 506 · 497 outputs · minted 6 to 10 October 2025 · NFT License", "author": null, "usage": null, "draftNoticeRemoved": true, "editorialSynthesis": "Compared the supplied revision with the earlier essay. Retained the fuller technical and historical account, integrated useful visual interpretation where it added substance, and preserved unresolved research questions. Generic prior boilerplate was not retained." }, "presentation": { "editionSize": 497, "maximumEdition": 497, "mintDate": "2025-10-06T16:16:23+00:00", "mintDateMeaning": "first indexed mint", "mintDateLabel": "First mint", "artwork": { "project_id": "0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77-506", "token_id": "506000390", "invocation": 390, "owner_address": "0xdd19308a9731cdecb67e0d80ca6823394208c045", "preview_asset_url": "https://media-proxy.artblocks.io/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000390.png", "live_view_url": "https://generator.artblocks.io/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000390", "canonicalUrl": "https://www.artblocks.io/token/1/0xab00000000002ade39f58f9d8278a31574ffbe77/506000390", "mode": "image", "copyrightStatus": "NFT License", "copyrightUrl": null, "displayBasis": "AB5D collection example under the artwork licence label stored on the project record; not a newly created derivative." } }, "observationImages": [], "publication": { "date": "2026-09-20", "url": "https://ab5d.xyz/series/quine-by-larva-labs/", "authorization": "Phil requested live publication of the supplied revision on 2026-09-20.", "reviewSnapshot": "/docs/series-essays/production/quine-by-larva-labs/record.json", "unresolvedResearchQuestionsRetained": true, "revisionDate": "2026-09-20" } }