Believe it or not, this graceful sculpture is made from a small olive seed. Moreover - its author, a Chinese artist Chen Tsu-Chan created this stunning piece back in 1737.
The sculpture is an absolutely stunning work of art, made from a small bone of an olive fruit - the miniature is only 16mm high and 34mm long. The sculpture retained the original shape of the bone, which the artist turned into a small boat with eight figures inside. Each of the little people fulfills their role, they are dressed differently, they have a different physique, they are located not only at the edges of the miniature, but also inside. Particularly striking are the artfully carved doors that can be opened and closed. Inside the sculpture-boat, despite the small size of the work, the details of the interior and the passengers are carved with incredible accuracy and skill.
According to the explanations of art historians of the Imperial Palace Museum in China for this artwork Chen Tsu-Chan (Ch'en Tsu-chang) inspired famous poem Su Shi "Ode to the Red Rock"recognized as an exemplary text of Chinese literature. The poem tells how the poet enjoys a boat ride with his friends on a moonlit night. To pay tribute to the source of inspiration, the sculptor Chen Tsu-Chan engraved this poem in its entirety (and this is more than 300 characters!) On the bottom of his miniature boat, which took up almost the entire lower surface of the sculpture.
Contemporary artist Sadie Campbell is 50 years old and also creates miniatures - tiny figures of animals and insects, which can be considered in detail only through a magnifying glass.
