From top left: “,” “,” head of and ““
might be one of the only institutions where visitors are encouraged to handle the most-valued sculptures and artifacts from art history. The open-source museum hosts an impressive archive of 18,000 digital scans—the eclectic collection spans artworks like the “,” the “,” and Michaelangelo’s “” in addition to other items like —that are available for download and 3D printing in a matter of hours.
Searchable by collection, artist, and location, Scan the World recently teamed up with , which partners with more than 2,000 institutions, to add thousands of additional pieces to the platform. Each page shares information about an artifact’s history and location, in addition to technical details like dimensions, complexity, and time to print—scroll down on to view images of finished pieces uploaded by the community, too. While much of the collection focuses on Western art, it’s currently bolstering two sections that explore works from and .
Scan the World is part of , which is the largest platform for 3D-printed objects. If you’re new to the process, check out the site’s wide range of , including , , and techniques for to capture hard-to-reach works. (via )

Left: “.” Right: ““





