Museum De Lakenhal is displaying the smallest work of art in the world: a 3D-printed statue of Rembrandt van Rijn, made by sculptor Jeroen Spijker and researchers from Leiden University.

To celebrate Leiden European City of Science 2022, Jeroen Spijker has worked with physicists from Leiden University on a micro-statue of Rembrandt made from polymer with a layer of platinum. At just 28 micrometres tall, the statue, which was made with a 3D printer, is around a third of the thickness of a human hair. This makes it the smallest work of art in the world, says Jeroen Spijker.

Visitors will see for themselves how this is invisible to the naked eye. The statue will be in the same room as paintings by Rembrandt. There is also a short film about the process.

Spijker worked together with Daniela Kraft and Rachel Doherty, researchers from the Faculty of Science at Leiden University. The work is based on a bronze sculpture of Rembrandt that Spijker had previously made. This was scanned and printed as small as possible with a 3D printer.

Read more here.