In the age of the internet, we are fortunate to have virtual access to museum collections around the world, thanks to public domain objects and initiatives such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Open Access Initiative. Through a searchable digital catalog, visitors to the museum’s website can view hundreds of thousands of objects, many of which are available for download as images. And it’s not alone—other institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art also make their collections available to everyone.
Suffice it to say, the reality is that digital images don’t always give us a complete picture. Even two-dimensional paintings have unique textures, structural details, and materials that we can only appreciate in person. That never really changes – nothing beats the real thing. But it’s important to note that even when done in person, much of the work remains hidden. For example, we cannot see the back of a painting, and the edges are often hidden within the frame. Thanks to the Met’s continued emphasis on imaging, we can now experience every detail in three-dimensional renderings of nearly 140 important objects in its collection.
The Met holds as many as 1.5 million historical artifacts, from the iconic Temple of Dendur and Impressionist paintings to African tribal ritual sculptures and medieval pottery. The museum recently released 3D models of some of these items, as well as many others, nine of which were created in partnership with NHK (Japanese Broadcasting Corporation).
With a strong focus on technical precision and color, these animated renderings are research-grade tools that allow us to see objects from any angle. See Van Gogh’s brushstrokes closer than the museum allows, zoom in on a Babylonian cuneiform tablet, and flip over an 18th-century Turkish tile to see its reverse.
The Met plans to continue adding 3D scanning to its online library. Explore more information on the museum’s website.
