It was while I was hunting for monuments that I was reminded of MyMiniFactory’s awesome Scan the World initiative which has been going on for almost two years now. It encourages people all over the planet to visit their local landmarks and museums and capture 3D scans that can be turned into 3D printable models for the rest of the world to see. I knew that Scan the World was an ongoing project, but I hadn’t noticed how many beautiful statues, sculptures and antiquities that they have already collected. There are hundreds of 3D printable versions of everything from pop culture icons to work from the classic Renaissance masters and even a few modern art installations. Thanks to MyMiniFactory and their volunteer 3D scanners it is possible for all of us to take a trip around the world without ever leaving our homes, and all we need is a 3D printer and some patience.
So without further ado, here are the Ten 3D Printable Famous Sculptures and Antiquities (That I Personally Want to 3D Print):
THE WINGED VICTORY OF SAMOTHRACE
Winged Victory of Samothrace at The Louvre, Paris by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
The eight-foot-tall marble statue known as the Winged Victory of Samothrace is perhaps one of the most famous ancient Greek statues in history, and looking closely at its details it isn’t difficult to understand why. The statue is a representation of Nike, the goddess of victory, and even missing its head and arms she’s an incredible work of art. The fact that her delicate, flowing dress is carved from solid marble, yet looks as if it is actually moving and clinging to Nike’s body just takes my breath away. The statue was originally part of a large water feature in a temple complex, and was likely created as a tribute to a great naval battle. Nike would have been covered with bold, striking colors and looked very differently when she was first created. But time has transformed her from monument to a forgotten battle into a stunning reminder of how much of our past has been lost to time.
THE MIGHTY HAND
The Mighty Hand at The Musée Rodin, Paris by Mieszko Lacinski
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
French sculptor Auguste Rodin is one of the most prolific and controversial sculptors from nineteenth century France. While his most famous works include The Thinker and the, unfinished, Gates of Hell, Rodin left behind an expansive body of work, including more than 6,000 sculptures and 8,000 drawings. While his Mighty Hand is generally considered a “lesser work” historically, it as one of his most popular during his lifetime. Despite history treating him very kind, during his lifetime Rodin never really was given the respect that he was due and was often dismissed due to his style of sculptural art which was more grounded in reality than his peers’ work. He was also looked down on because he tended to treat his art more as a trade than a talent, and dared to push against the sculptural styles favored by his contemporaries.
THE WHEEL OF LIFE
The Wheel of Life at Vigeland Sculpture Park, Norway by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
The Wheel of Life is just one of many of the notable works of Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland that are on display at a museum dedicated to him in Oslo. The sculpture depicts a series of bold figures, representing a man from birth to death, intertwined with each other in a ring that suggests the circular nature of life itself. Vigeland and his art are quite controversial, even to this day, primarily because he was openly a Nazi sympathizer and his art tended to share the same bold and authoritarian aesthetic that was carefully developed by Nazi Germany. While his political views are in all honestly aberrant, much like the Nazi aesthetic itself, it’s hard to deny the artistry and sense of considered design that went into his work.
BUST OF ELEONORA DUSE
Bust of Eleonora Duse at The Gallery of Modern Art of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
The stunning bust of Eleonora Duse, a famous Italian actress, was created by Arrigo Minerbi in the early twentieth century. Minerbi is known for his simple, classic sculptures that tended to marry the traditional style of the ancient world and the modern style of sculpture from the era. His bust of Duse is incredibly simple and straightforward in design and looks like its creation was virtually effortless, yet it still has a rather dramatic sense of kinetic movement and urgency. Duse’s delicate features are quite lovely, and it almost seems as if the bust was designed in such a way that her expressions and emotions would feel different depending on which direction you viewed it — which is exactly the type of tribute that would be expected for a woman widely seen as the greatest Italian actress in history.
FREDDIE MERCURY
Freddy Mercury in Montreux, Switzerland by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
This 2003 sculpture of Queen singer Freddie Mercury stands nearly ten feet tall and was created and erected by Irena Sedlecka as a tribute to the late Mercury in Montreux, Switzerland, his adopted home. The statue stands facing Lake Geneva near Mercury’s Swiss home and the Mountain Recording Studio where he and Queen recorded their last album together. The statue depicts the iconic rock singer as he appeared in the now historic Queen concert at Wembley Stadium in 1986, and of course as he’s now often depicted in meme form.
BUST OF MARSYAS
Bust of Marsyas at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
The unsettling and anguished scream depicted by sculptor Balthasar Permoser on the face of the satyr Marsyas is really hard to ignore. The seventeenth century bust is a sometimes confusing mix of sculpting styles that is meant to convey the extreme pain and terror Marsyas felt while being flayed alive. Permoser contrasts hyper-detailed facial structures, including a torn tongue and a dramatically furrowed brow, with a rough and loosely sculpted head of hair. The effect is both disturbing and yet beautiful at the same time, and gives the bust a sense of movement that suggests that it isn’t just a depiction of Marsyas’ torment, but that his torment is perpetually ongoing.
SANDSTONE HINDU TEMPLE
Sandstone Hindu Temple at The British Museum, London by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
Small Hindu temples like this one housed in the British Museum are fairly common throughout India, and are typically donated by devout adherents of Hinduism. This very small style of temple is a simplified version of its larger variations and are typically dedicated or donated by someone without a lot of money. Inside of these temples are portraits of the deity that it has been dedicated to, in this case Shiva, and the doorway is adorned with the image of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles.
CATHARSIS by ANA MARIA NEGARA
Catharsis in Caransebes, Romania by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
I’ll be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about Ana Maria Negară and had never heard of her before stumbling onto this 3D model of her Catharsis sculpture. But I was immediately struck by her work and simply couldn’t wait to 3D print my own version of this stylized obelisk. Negară is a Romanian artist who has already created several remarkable works in her short career, and mixes modern shapes and materials with more classic and traditional shapes and iconography. Based on her work I actually find myself having difficulties nailing down a specific style, as she seems to draw influences from a lot of different places. But all of her works are very bold, almost oppressively so, and give off a real sense of weight and permanence, as if she was designing pieces that are intended to last for centuries.
THE LEWIS CHESSMEN
The Lewis Chessmen at The National Museum of Scotland by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
In case you haven’t had enough 3D printable chess sets from a previous Ten 3D Printable Things column, I wanted to share this amazing set that was almost included in that list. There is actually very little known about the Lewis Chessmen other than the fact that they were carved from the ivory of walrus tusks and whale bones and date back to 1150-1200 AD. More than 90 of them were found buried in Uig on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and were likely created in Norway. The pieces are just really cool and the relative lack of fine details means that they lend themselves to being 3D printed.
ARCH OF TRIUMPH
Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, Syria by Scan The World
Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free
The Arch of Triumph is also known as the Arch of Septimius Severus and was likely erected as a monument to Rome’s victory over the Parthians, although its exact origins are unclear. The Roman arch was discovered in Palmyra, Syria and dates back to the reign of emperor Septimius Severus, which lasted from 193 to 211 AD. Unfortunately the historic arch was destroyed by ISIS last year during Syria’s ongoing struggles with its own civil war and the brutal terrorist organization. Thankfully most of the stones have been preserved, and the hope is that in the future the arch can be restored to its former location. 3D technology has also led to recreations being built and put in high-traffic areas.
So there you go, ten amazing 3D printable works of art that I can’t wait to 3D print for myself. While I think I chose some great pieces that would be fun to recreate, they are only a very, very small selection of the incredible Scan the World collection hosted on MyMiniFactory that are available for free. I typically encourage you to download and 3D print the models on my list, this week I’d like you to head on over to MyMiniFactory and explore and download the Scan the World models that you can’t wait to make for yourselves.
And please, feel free to share the results with me, I love to see what you’re all printing. You can email me, or send me a friendly tweet @SJGrunewald!