#3D-printed replicas

[blueiscoool]

Michelangelo’s Masterpieces Are Getting a High-Tech Makeover

An experimental exhibition in Denmark is intended to spark debate about the future use of 3D-printed replicas in museums.

When it comes to critically-acclaimed museum shows, a high premium is usually placed on the uniqueness and rarity of the objects on display. Back in the day, however, copies of an ancient masterpiece would often have to do. This was how the marvels of Greek art made their way to workshops across the Roman empire, in due course influencing the Renaissance masters and Western culture at large. Not only would ideas spread far via reproduction, but otherwise site-specific art could be appreciated in new contexts.

Carrying this spirit into the 21st century, the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) will present the most comprehensive Michelangelo exhibition since 1875, featuring a groundbreaking blend of 19th-century plaster casts and state-of-the-art 3D-printed replicas. Opening March 29, the show will reassemble scattered masterpieces and showcase works that rarely, if ever, leave their original locations, offering visitors a unique opportunity to experience the Renaissance master’s art.

Plaster cast after Michelangelo Buonarroti, Medici Madonna. Original made ca. 1526–1532, cast in 1897. Photo: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark.

Using technology from Factum Arte in Madrid, the museum will enhance its collection of 19th-century plaster casts of Michelangelo masterpieces, such as the head of David and the Medici Madonna, with newly created 3D-printed replicas. These replicas provide access to works that are otherwise unattainable due to immobility or location. For instance, Michelangelo’s depictions of Saints Peter, Augustine, Paul, and Gregory are fixed elements of the Piccolomini Altarpiece in Siena, Italy installed so high that they cannot be easily viewed up close. Other works, like Cupid, are in high demand and geographically restricted, currently on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from France until 2029.

The show’s curator, Matthias Wivel, said he is not concerned that the use of replicas might be off-putting to audiences. “We will achieve a beautiful exhibition with them that will be compelling to the public,” he said. “The appreciation and study of art has always relied heavily on reproductions. Without them both would be much more limited. Used responsibly, there is huge potential and value in using reproductions.”

He conceded that the show is an experiment, and he will measure its success on its ability to “stimulate debate and prompt refinement or rejection, and innovation.”

Perhaps the strongest argument for the use of reproductions is greater freedom to build art historical narratives unbounded by practical limitations. For example, the show in Denmark will bring together several pieces originally produced for the tomb of Julius II that have since scattered across different locations. These include the Boboli Prisoners at the Accademia and Genius of Victory at the Palazzo Vecchio, both in Florence, and Rachel and Leah at San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome.

Plaster cast after Michelangelo Buonarroti, Day. Original ca. 1524-26, cast 1897. The Royal Cast Collection, SMK – National Gallery of Denmark Photo: SMK.

Factum Arte have also been able to reconstruct Infant John the Baptist from Ubedà, which was smashed during the Spanish Civil War. Though the statue has been restored, it still bears the scars of its destruction; the new 3D model was made by referencing archival photographs of the work from before the restoration. Wivel hopes it will “convey some of the wonder of the original.”

The exhibition will also reveal how much reproduction technologies have evolved over the centuries. According to Wivel, Factum Arte’s facsimiles made using digital techniques are accurate down to the micron level, resulting in pieces of “much higher fidelity than the plasters, in that they reproduce the color, surface, and detailing such as veining, of the marble.”

He also noted that digital facsimiles like those made by Factum Arte provide highly detailed records of artworks that may be valuable to researchers and restorers for centuries to come. Wivel noted that traveling as part of exhibition loans can cause significant physical strain on fragile objects as well. In other contexts, high-tech replicas have also played an important role in facilitating repatriation agreements, allowing museums to keep a copy of an object that they decide to return.

Together, these reproductions, both old and new, will enable the most comprehensive monographic exhibition dedicated to Michelangelo since 1875, when the 400th anniversary of his birth was celebrated in Florence. Running through August 31, the exhibition will also include a selection of Michelangelo’s original drawings, correspondence, models in wax and clay, and several bronzes made after models that are now lost.

Plaster cast after Michelangelo Buonarroti, Head of David. Original made in 1501-1503, cast in 1890. Photo: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark.

By Jo Lawson-Tancred.

[untitled-tmnt-blog]

I wanted to practice some 3D modeling/printing, and for whatever reason, my brain said "Rise AU lantern."

Swanatello belongs to @tangledinink

The Goop (2AL) belongs to @intotheelliwoods

CAS Future Leo & Donnie belong to @somerandomdudelmao

Omega (Replica) belongs to @kathaynesart

[zuperbuu]

Based on one of the messiest fossil scans I've ever had to clean up (including missing multiple toe bones!) this replica is perfect for any dinosaur fan, or place of education looking to add some Mesozoic flare to their biology lessons!

The file is accessible on Cults3D (6 Euros), Creality Cloud (600 Credits), and Printables ($6). RAW STLs are included. Please note that the hole for the stand is not present in the RAW STL of the articulated foot.

While I printed mine in PLA and it turned out great, I still recommend PETG or ABS for the articulated version just to be safe.

[mattgrayyes]

I designed and built my own replica TVA Tempad prop from Marvel's Loki and from Deadpool & Wolverine.

I've now made my build details, code, and 3d models available for free here:

And you can watch my video on it here:

[canopiancatboy]

Skull of Homo Naledi, printed at 50% scale

Printed a while back for my partner, I'm going through and painting a bunch of the knickknacks I've printed for some shelf displays

[audley-and-cherry]

Worked on the Horrible Bard's base a little.

I didn't take pictures of the paints, but I used Citadel's Standard Mechanicus grey, Morghast bone, and Pro Acryl copper.

Copper coins because he's a Horrible bard and no one's giving him a ton of cash.

Should make shading and highlighting easier.

And because I like the Pro Acryl copper so much, I banged out another skull for the hell of it.

(White primer, Pro Acryl bronze base coat, copper top coat, and light bronze highlighting. Pro Acryl bright gold for the tooth.)

[bikinibottommall]

🎨Let’s paint the chocolate guy!🍫

🖨️⚙️Since it’s resin 3D printed, we take around 3 coats of acrylic paint to hide the print lines🌈 — but to keep things snappy, I only showed one📹

[tamara-kama]

Somebody made a 3D printable Red Dwarf "Holly Hop" drive unit.. I've downloaded the files so I can get it printed! 💜😁👍🏻

https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-holly-hop-drive-110280

[3dreenactmentmodels]

Hi everyone, just opened my etsy to try and scrounge up some extra income; if you're a reenactor or historical militaria collector, check it out. Might have just the thing you need! https://www.etsy.com/shop/3dReenactmentModels

[adiwan]

Star Wars Cargo Box

This one I did a few years ago and I rediscovered this image on my hard drive just now. I made it as a gift for a former colleague and Star Wars fan. It was about 20 cm in length, 10 cm in height and width and filled with candy up to the top.

I modeled it on my own by using reference images from the Star Wars series The Bad Batch. After 3D-printing it in PETG, spraying it with a lot of body fill, sanding it to remove as many layer lines as possible, it was painted with cheap acrylic paints that luckily matched pretty well, especially with some drops of metallic model paint. I weathered it with more metallic paint to give it some scratches (maybe I went a little bit overboard with it) and slathered the box with an oily black wash to make it appropriately grimy. As soon as the paint was dry enough (accelerated with a hair dryer) I varnished it with a matte airbrush varnish from Vallejo.

Seeing this again makes me want to make one for myself to put on my desk.

[floofe-trans-doggie]

You really never realize how much you'll miss the little things that could be momentos of your past until you look back on them and wish you hadn't thrown them away in middle school when you were ashamed of everything you'd ever done or ever would do.

[carma-tjol]

i’m gonna be vash the stampede for halloween (and eventually conventions) i’m genuinely so excited

im gonna do the 90s version too ahhhhhhh the jacket is scaring me. i bought mccalls 7374 jacket pattern that i’ll adjust to be vash’s jacket

i have a littttle bit of sewing experience but not a lot and this will be my first time using a pattern that isn’t my own so if anyone has cosplay design/pattern alteration tips or any insight into making the 1998 jacket let me know!!!

[sergle]

you really do have to be some kind of art god to freehand guns at pretty much any angle at all, BUT I will say: the best workaround for this seems to be to get your hands on a prop gun (or a real one but like....) that'll work as the skeleton for your gun design. and then you can take as many photos of it being held at whatever pose you want, Forever. which I think is kind of fun!! I looked for prop guns out of curiosity and you can get lots of different kinds, these are just a few from when I was scrolling:

the more detailed ones run more money, but they ARE fun, and it could be neat to pick out a fancy Replica Gun for a trigun-esque character you're making. I think this one is really pretty, and would otherwise be really hard to re-draw over and over unless you had a ref:

anyway, while you're doing that why not also pick up some fuckin. silicone glass, breakaway beer bottles, and a gallon of fake blood

My condolences to every artist who wanted their OC to have a really cool complicated-looking gun right up until the first time they attempted a pose that would require it to be drawn at a slight angle.

[audley-and-cherry]

We got some finished skulls!

[bikinibottommall]

What’s next?🤔

[zuperbuu]

I started this Deinonychus foot replica ages ago but I wasn't happy with how the first print turned out (where I decided to cut it to optimise space sucked, as did the original stand I made for it.) I recently finished improving both the stand and the foot.

This is the small version. The large is a 1:1 scale replica of an adult Deinonychus (still printing now). It will be available soon to download and print, with an articulated version included so you can pose the toes; the bundle will be roughly 6 USD/Euros.