Painting in Miniature

March 23, 2006 6:25 AM

I'd like your smallest painting. No, smaller than that. Even smaller. Wait, that's too small.
posted by justkevin (21 comments total)

Heh heh, way to draw me in with the FPP. The stuff on rice is incredible. Are there more pictures available at the first link, I couldn't find them if there are.
posted by OmieWise at 6:31 AM on March 23, 2006

I made the mistake of clicking on the last link first, resulting in a "ho-hum" response to the others.
posted by sourwookie at 6:31 AM on March 23, 2006

I saw an exhibit at the Springfield (MA) Museum of Fine Art last year of these really tiny black and white woodblock prints of New England snow scenes. (Really tiny as in smaller than a postage stamp.) They were remarkably detailed. I wish I could remember the artist.
posted by Plutor at 6:39 AM on March 23, 2006

Here's the wiki entry on the portrait in miniature. I wanted to avoid having any of the links be to wiki articles.
posted by justkevin at 6:40 AM on March 23, 2006

Same here Sourwookie, we obviously are not into delayed gratification!!
Great post-reminds me of a trip to Taiwan. There is an amazing collection of microsculpture/carving in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, a whole lake scene with a boat, boatman punting, as well as birds frogs, trees, etc., on a plum stone!
posted by Wilder at 6:42 AM on March 23, 2006

"17 portraits of tzars and tzarines of Romanov dinasty on sections of poppy seeds." Fantastic.
posted by fire&wings at 6:49 AM on March 23, 2006

This is incredible.
posted by Devils Slide at 6:53 AM on March 23, 2006

One of his works is inscribed ... in letters a fraction of a millimetre wide, painted using a sharpened human hair.

A "sharpened" human hair! That...is crazy.
posted by Shfishp at 7:03 AM on March 23, 2006

Hmm... now let's see. For my next project, I shall paint a picture on a grain of rice. Yes, that's it. Now... what to paint? I GOT IT !!!

34 Canadian Mounties. Genius.
posted by Witty at 7:10 AM on March 23, 2006

A mural of 34 Canadian Mounties was painted on a single grain of rice with a single horse hair brush. [emphasis mine]

I wonder, was this a regular horse hair brush and every other strand was removed or can I buy a brush with just one hair online?

Great post.
posted by nuala at 7:16 AM on March 23, 2006

Wait, that's too small

Well then this is totally out of the question.

posted before
posted by CynicalKnight at 7:17 AM on March 23, 2006

But do they have a grain of rice that'll look good over my sofa?
posted by Lord Kinbote at 7:18 AM on March 23, 2006

Related are the figures in the eye of a needle and mosaics made from butterfly wing scales at the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles (pictures on WP page).
posted by beerbajay at 7:19 AM on March 23, 2006

CK-I forgot about those awesome chips.
posted by OmieWise at 7:21 AM on March 23, 2006

Man, rice grains have a more complicated shape than I realized. That's awesome.

Okay, the paintings are kinda cool too.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:22 AM on March 23, 2006

Cool links, and props for the cleverly framed post.
posted by brain_drain at 7:39 AM on March 23, 2006

very cool : >

(and it's better i guess than "i want to match my couch")
posted by amberglow at 8:03 AM on March 23, 2006

Portrait of the great Russian poet A.S.Pushkin on mammoth tooth.

Well, that's certainly a statistically improbable phrase.
posted by brundlefly at 8:12 AM on March 23, 2006

I see your silicon chip art and raise you some DNA nano-art.
posted by luftmensch at 9:21 AM on March 23, 2006

I see your silicon chip art and raise you some DNA nano-art.

Right, I'm all in.
posted by justkevin at 9:39 AM on March 23, 2006

Here's the page on Hagop Sandaldjian's microminiatures at the Museum of Jurassic Technology. They are amazing, as is most of the rest of the museum. One of LA's highlights, for sure.
posted by peptide at 10:26 AM on March 23, 2006