Gigapixel 3D color scans of Vermeer’s "Girl with a Pearl Earring" using the HIROX 3D digital microscope

Recently, the Mauritshuis commissioned us to create a 3D scan of Vermeer's “The Girl with the Pearl Earring”. The result is the world's largest microscopic 3D panorama of a painting: a 3D color scan with 108 billion pixels, consisting of almost 2 million images in a fully focused, ultra-high-resolution format. Based on the 3D scan of the entire painting, we produced a huge 4 x 3.5 meter 3D print that is now on display in the Mauritshuis for museum visitors to touch and feel.

To achieve this, we developed a fully automated XYZ scanning platform that continuously moved the microscope at 90x magnification, capturing details at a resolution of 1.3 µm per pixel. This allowed us to observe individual pigments, measure the depth of cracks and examine the relief of tiny drops of color on the pearl.

To this end, we developed a fully automated XYZ scanning platform that continuously moved the microscope at 90x magnification and captured details with a resolution of 1.3 µm per pixel. This allowed us to observe individual pigments, measure the depth of cracks and examine the relief of tiny drops of color on the pearl.
The scan is accessible to the public both in the museum and remotely, allowing anyone with a PC, tablet or cell phone to zoom in on individual pigments, measure distances, rotate the 3D view of selected areas and share specific points of interest globally.

You can find more information on our website.