NEW YORK, NY.- The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it is publishing more than 100 high-resolution 3D models of works of art from across the Museum's vast collection. All the newly produced scans are presented with precise color accuracy and exceptionally high fidelity and can be explored on The Met's website, where viewers can zoom in, rotate, and examine each model, bringing unprecedented access to significant works of art. The 3D models can also be explored in viewers' own spaces through augmented reality (AR) on most smartphone and VR headsets, as a resource for research, exploration, and curiosity. A majority of the models are available for free download and use under The Met's Open Access program and CC0 license.

Selected from across The Met collection of 1.5 million objects, each work was scanned in ultra-high resolution and processed as research-grade 3D models. Highlights of the 3D models include a marble sarcophagus with lions felling antelope (3rd century); a statue of Horus as a falcon protecting King Nectanebo II (360–343 BCE); Kano Sansetsu's Old Plum (1646); and a house model by Nayarit artist(s) (200 BCE–300 CE).

Nine of the newly produced models were made in collaboration with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) as part of the public broadcaster's initiative to produce ultra-high definition 3D computer graphics of national treasures and other important artworks. Using portable laser scanning systems combined with camera-based photogrammetry techniques, NHK worked alongside The Met's Imaging Department to digitize monumental works of art. These include Vincent Van Gogh's Wheat Field with Cypresses (1889); armor that belonged to Henry II, King of France (ca. 1555); Antonio Canova's Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1804–6); a pair of screens, Amusements at Higashiyama in Kyoto (ca. 1620s); and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's Ugolino and His Sons (1865–67), many of which cannot be moved from their galleries for traditional imaging. The Met and NHK are now exploring further educational programming and potential content using these cutting-edge, best-in class models.

“Through these digital experiences, we are expanding meaningful new pathways into The Met collection, inviting audiences around the world to engage with these works in dynamic and immersive ways,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Building upon The Met’s Open Access Initiative, these new models deepen our commitment to increasing access to the Museum’s collection and scholarship.”