Works of art are just timeless. Regardless of the development of technology, they delight us for… over 40,000 years.
And now an amazing alternative has emerged. For free.
Man, art and progress
For a long time the Lion Man found in 1939 in the Swabian Jurassic and later exhibited in the Ulm Museum in Germany was considered the oldest work of art. It is dated to be about 40 thousand years old. Commonly associated European cave paintings are actually quite a bit younger – their “age” is said to be in the range of 14,000-21,000 years. In fact, Lion Man in December 2019 dethroned … a painting dated at 44 thousand years, but from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
And now a quick jump back in time. The first 3D printing technique was only developed in 1984. Today, thanks to its achievements, we can admire countless spatial objects. Our regular readers and 3D printing enthusiasts know all too well how amazing forms can be achieved with simply prepared models beforehand. The site presented today is too magnificent not to be featured – a true art center beating to the beat of the world’s largest and most famous museums.
Scan the World – works of art in an open source museum
Scan the World is an ambitious, community-generated initiative on the My Mini Factory website, whose mission is to share sculptures and cultural artifacts. All of which can be 3D printed. 3D scanning technologies have thus created a publicly accessible ecosystem of digital cultural heritage. Communities are encouraged to share photographs of their reproductions and the stories that accompany the works. In this way, one of the cultural capitals of the modern version is born.
The largest digital repository of 3D art in the world
In the collection of Scan The World we can find works that belong to the collections of renowned institutions such as Louvre, The British Museum, SMK Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen or Musée des Augustins in Toulouse. It also has the patronage of the University of Cambridge, Victoria & Albert Museum, BBC, The Times, Financial Times and Open Culture, among others. Truly a wide-ranging initiative. As of April 2019, the digital museum already had 16,000 “exhibits” (uploaded artifacts as ready-to-download 3D printing files) and more than 50 supporting institutions, enjoyed more than 100 million visits from internet users and about 4,000 downloads per day. Now there are more than 18,000 scanned and processed models and collections continue to grow. Scan the World offers solutions such as:
- consultation sessions with digital capture,
- 3D scanning on demand,
- software optimization for 3D printing,
- data archiving,
- production of final 3D models,
- workshops and training,
- general feedback and support.
Merging old and new
All the images presented today are from Scan The World and represent 3D printing. Yes, a lot depends on the model of printer and filament used, so elements such as texture and detail of individual reproductions will most likely differ, but it’s still a way to create something more than a decoration or a 3D model. Let’s see what it looks like based on two famous sculptures – in front of you is Michelangelo’s David and a bust of Queen Nefertiti by an unknown sculptor.
David – 3D printed sculpture
Michelangelo Buonarotti, 1501-1504
David at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence
Weight of raw model: 49 g
Layer height: 0.15mm
Dimensions: 84mm x 60mm x 200mm
“When all was finished, it cannot be denied that this work has carried off the palm from all other statues, modern or ancient, Greek or Latin; no other artwork is equal to it in any respect, with such just proportion, beauty and excellence did Michelagnolo finish it”.
Giorgio Vasari
The sculptor has even carved out the blood vessels. The stature and anatomy of the world’s most famous statue certainly prepares him well for the upcoming battle with Goliath – the very scene in which he is depicted. Stored in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, it continues to inspire keen interest and admiration for its sculptural craftsmanship. One user even created a 1.75 cm high print.
Bust of Nefertiti – 3D printed sculpture
Artist unknown ( presumably Totmes), c. 1345 BC.
Bust of Nefertiti in Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Weight of raw model: 77 g
Layer height: 0.15 mm
Dimensions: 63.4 x 91.17 x 130.0 mm
The Sun queen sits in her room, looking across the halls and fixing her eyes on a statue of the Sun god Helios from Alexandria. It is assumed that the bust was created around 1345 BC by a court sculptor in Amarna, and that Nefertiti herself stood before him as a model at the time. Limestone shaft was given its final form by several layers of stucco on the crown and shoulders.
Now any owner of a 3D printer can add shape and character to the sculpture. Comments in the original thread show different attempts at making, different filaments and different colors – there is Nefertiti in the likeness of bronze, gold or alabaster, painted in detail and raw. All are beautiful like the queen herself.
Digital art. Other sculptures, buildings and artifacts from 3D printing
For inspiration we leave you with sculptures selected from Scan The World repository. All the works from all continents, all eras and trends, created by people of all races and faiths, are at your disposal. No payment required.
Among them we can find sculpture, heraldry, architecture, pottery, ornamental objects of everyday use and many other commonly associated models.
Dear readers and lovers of art, what would you print first?
