The Met Introduces High-Definition 3D Scans of Art Historical Objects

The Met Introduces High-Definition 3D Scans of Dozens of Art Historical Objects — Colossal Skip to content Animation courtesy of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). All images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Met Introduces High-Definition 3D Scans of Dozens of Art Historical Objects March 5, 2026 Art History Kate Mothes Share Email Bookmark In the age of the internet, we’re fortunate to have virtual access to museum collections around the world, thanks to objects in the public domain and programs like The Metropolitan Museum of Art ’s Open Access Initiative. Through a searchable digital catalogue, visitors to the museum’s website can see hundreds of thousands of objects, many images of which are available for download. And it’s not alone —other institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago, The National Gallery of Art, and The Cleveland Museum of Art, among others, make pieces in their collections accessible to all. The thing is, digital images don’t always give us the full picture, so to speak. Even two-dimensional paintings and drawings have unique textures, structural details, and materials that we can only really appreciate in person. This won’t ever really change—nothing beats the real thing. But one caveat is that even in person, much of the work remains hidden. We can’t see the backs of oil paintings, for example, and edges are often hidden within frames. Thanks to The Met’s continued emphasis on imaging, we can now experience every detail in three-dimensional renderings of nearly 140 significant objects in its holdings. The Temple of Dendur (10th century B.C.E.) The Met is home to a whopping 1.5 million historic objects, which range from the iconic Temple of Dendur and Impressionist paintings to African tribal ceremonial sculptures and medieval pottery. The museum recently published 3D models of some of these, plus numerous other objects, including nine produced in collaboration with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). With careful attention to technical precision and color, these animated renderings are research-grade tools, allowing us to see the objects at any angle. View van Gogh’s brushstrokes closer than you’re allowed to in a museum, zoom in on a Babylonian cuneiform tablet, and turn an 18th-century Turkish tile over to see its reverse side. The Met plans to continue adding 3D scans to its online library. Explore more on the museum’s website . Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing. Hide advertising Save your favorite articles Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop Receive members-only newsletter Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms Join us today! $7/month $75/year Explore membership options Related articles Thousands of Classic Films, Books, and Illustrations Just Entered the Public Domain 'Remake' Reimagines Master Works of Art A New Book Contains Dozens of Rare Photos of Salvador Dalí's Seaside Home and Studio Download More Than 300 Art Books From the Getty Museum's Virtual Library 'Cat' Is a Purr-fect Celebration of Felines in Art Throughout the Centuries Download and 3D-Print 18,000 Artifacts from Art History through Scan the World Trending Lost for More Than a Century, the First ‘Sci-Fi’ Film Ever Made Resurfaces Dani Guindo’s Dramatic Aerial Photos Reveal the Ghostly Outline of an Icelandic Glacier Dueling Hares and Leaping Toads Top the 2026 British Wildlife Photography Awards Mischief’s Genius Ads for NPR Provoke Urgent Questions About the Right to Information The Met Introduces High-Definition 3D Scans of Dozens of Art Historical Objects Spectral Birds Endemic to New Zealand Find New Life in Fiona Pardington’s Portraits Masayoshi Matsumoto Meticulously Transforms Balloons into Expressive Critters Historic Architecture Emerges from Stone in Matthew Simmonds Ethereal Sculptures