Sunday, July 27, 2008

Pin Head Building

Most souvenir building collectors display their architectural replicas to enjoy them daily. Most erect shelving and some even dedicate entire rooms to their collections. What do you thing about a building replica which is so small, a magnifying glass is needed to see it? A pin-head sized replica of the Lloyd's of London building sold at auction for £94,000 (that’s about $186,000 USD). Made of white gold and platinum, the scale model of the architecturally renowned steel and glass structure took four months for micro-sculptor Willard Wigan to create. The size of a single sugar granule, It was sold in a custom-built display case which incorporates viewing lenses. According to London’s Daily Mail, Wigan, 50, from Birmingham, said: "This has been the most difficult piece I have ever made. The precision needed to ensure that the micro-sculpture is entirely to scale and proportion placed an incredible physical and mental demand on me." Architect Lord Richard Rogers said: "Designing the actual building itself was an intricate challenge, but to see it recreated in such minuscule proportions and with so much detail is quite unbelievable. I had to look through the microscope several times to check my eyes weren't deceiving me." Other works by the artist include a Statue of Liberty poised within the eye of a needle. Are these the smallest souvenir buildings ever? As works of art, they may be some of the most expensive building replics. Do you know of anything even smaller or additional small building replicas?

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