16th Century Boxwood Carvings Are So Miniature Researchers Used X-Ray To Solve Their Mystery

There are only 135 known miniature boxwood carvings and they have been puzzling art specialists all over the world. Recently, researchers have gathered some of these tiny religious pieces from museums and private collections to further study their secrets and have found a few very interesting answers.

It is thought that these wooden carvings were made during only a brief time frame, between 1500 and 1530 either in Flanders or the Netherlands. The rise of a new merchant social class in Europe created a market demand for high-quality portable religious carvings. However, soon the Reformation began and a lot of church-related accessories went out of fashion, including the miniature boxwood pieces.

Using micro-CT scanning and Advanced 3D Analysis Software, researchers found out just how intricate these miniature altars really are. The inner layers are pieced together, hiding the joints so completely, that only a microscope or an X-ray can detect them. The pieces also incorporate pins, smaller than a grass seed. However, much of the production process remains unknown, because traces of gold and other decoration materials conceal the X-ray views.

More info: ago. ca | YouTube (h/t: colossal)

Researchers took these 500-year-old miniature boxwood carvings to the lab to find out their secrets

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They think these miniatures were made between 1500 and 1530 in Flanders or the Netherlands

miniature-boxwood-carvings-16th-century-17

The human eye isn’t able to analyze details this tiny

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So researchers used micro-CT scanning and Advanced 3D Analysis Software

Photography by Ian Lefebvre

To find out how intricate the pieces really are

miniature-boxwood-carvings-16th-century-4

They found joints in the inner layers so tiny that only a microscope or an X-ray can detect them

miniature-boxwood-carvings-16th-century-2

And pins, smaller than a grass seed

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But even the advanced technology couldn’t see everything

miniature-boxwood-carvings-16th-century-8

Because traces of gold and other decoration materials conceal the X-ray views

miniature-boxwood-carvings-16th-century-13

The miniatures were a result of a rising new social class in Europe that created a demand for these high-quality portable religious carvings

Photography by Craig Boyko

However, soon the Reformation began and a lot of church-related accessories went out of fashion

miniature-boxwood-carvings-16th-century-5

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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What do you think ?

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Little Menace 7 years ago

The miniatures are amazing, however the whole article is rubbish. Especially the grammar and the lack of x-ray pictures. All we see is photos of 'miniatures' but without anything added for scale [a banana would have been fine].

62points

Adrian Jenkin (MarauderDeuce) 7 years ago

I agree on all counts but especially the x-rays! I mean they're interesting and all but I'd not have bothered if I'd know there wasn't going to be any investigation shows.

18points

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Rokas L (Post author) 7 years ago

The "More info" section of the post contains a link to a YouTube video where you can see researchers perform various tests. Also, even though there isn't a banana for scale, you can see a person hold one of the carvings in his hands which should provide the same effect as a banana would. Lastly, can you be more concrete about the grammar?

11points

Mike Olson 7 years ago

Yes, I was waiting for the x-ray pics and...........nothing. : (

5points

Doug Stringham 7 years ago

From my limited experience with CT scans I'd say they wouldn't translate over well to this medium. They aren't photos per se.

1point

Roy Amsoy 7 years ago

Wise guys are so exausting. Just enjoy the pics and please dont bother others with your nitpicking.

0points

Branden Hart 7 years ago

Agreed, very poor article. Not the Panda Standard!

0points

Mats Erik Engelsvoll 7 years ago

This was a much better one; http://ezine.codart.nl/17/issue/45/artikel/investigating-miniature-boxwood-carving-at-the-art-gallery-of-ontario-in-toronto/?id=119

0points

Jurgen Ziesmann 7 years ago

If this is truth: "The human eye isn’t able to analyze details this tiny" and is this is truth: "They found joints in the inner layers so tiny that only a microscope or an X-ray can detect them" - how then was it possible that people 500 years ago looking with nothing than their own eyes could carve them? And what the heck is the size of a grass seed? With perfectly fine length measures available that everyone could understand ... why would you use "the size of a grass seed" as comparison?

27points

Jace 7 years ago

You've heard of magnifying lenses, right?

11points

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get in 7 years ago

I have a 50# bag of grass seed in my shed if you'd like me to send you one. LOL. I do agree however, they're info is rubbish, but a form of microscope was around in the 1500's. I used to be able to do fine work similar to this when I was young and had young eyes, not any more.

3points

Nathan Greenslade 7 years ago

I think what the article meant is the intricacies of HOW they were made is to small for the human eye to detect, so not the detail of the carvings but the details of how they were put together. i.e Lines showing the different parts put together or different layers of crafting. In this cse someone who was doing the making would know how these were mae and would not need to analyse how it was made themselves

2points

Thomas Whalen 7 years ago

Did it ever occur to you that technology that existed back then, by and large, doesn't exist anymore? Most of anything that we from that long ago is just a wee tiny fraction of what life was really like. Artists were using camera obscuras back then while artists in the 2000's are trying to figure out how to make smart phones take good enough pictures that they can draw from, but aren't even to the size of the images produced by the camera obscura.

2points

Bill Beck 7 years ago

Do you know what a joint is? It's where 2 or more pieces come together, they are saying the pieces fit so closely together that the seam between them only can be detected by a microscope. The artist did not have to see that small to make it.

1point

Juana 7 years ago

Thank you for perfectly articulating my questions about this submission.

1point

Lukas Nirgendwo 7 years ago

Reminds me of Polly Pocket. :D

12points

Julie moreau quilliou 7 years ago

you made my day.

0points

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Little Menace 7 years ago

62points

Adrian Jenkin (MarauderDeuce) 7 years ago

I agree on all counts but especially the x-rays! I mean they're interesting and all but I'd not have bothered if I'd know there wasn't going to be any investigation shows.

18points

Load More Replies...

Rokas L (Post author) 7 years ago

11points

Mike Olson 7 years ago

Yes, I was waiting for the x-ray pics and...........nothing. : (

5points

Doug Stringham 7 years ago

From my limited experience with CT scans I'd say they wouldn't translate over well to this medium. They aren't photos per se.

1point

Roy Amsoy 7 years ago

Wise guys are so exausting. Just enjoy the pics and please dont bother others with your nitpicking.

0points

Branden Hart 7 years ago

Agreed, very poor article. Not the Panda Standard!

0points

Mats Erik Engelsvoll 7 years ago

This was a much better one; http://ezine.codart.nl/17/issue/45/artikel/investigating-miniature-boxwood-carving-at-the-art-gallery-of-ontario-in-toronto/?id=119

0points