Smallest recreation of a painting within a recreation of a painting

The smallest recreation of a painting within a recreation of a painting is a 2,332 x 1,731-micrometre version of The Night Watch (originally painted in 1642 by the Dutch Master Rembrandt van Rijn) created in 2023 by David A Lindon (UK) in Bournemouth, Dorset, UK, as verified on 12 March 2025. It is set into a pixelated version of the same artwork, with dimensions of 122 x 102 cm, by geometric artist Chris Long (UK).

The original masterpiece of The Night Watch dating to the Dutch Golden Age of art measures 363 x 437 cm – more than 4 million times bigger than Lindon’s! One of the world’s best-known artworks, it is one of the most popular exhibits at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where it has long been on display.

Long’s interpretation of the classic artwork is comprised of 32,000 5x5-mm hand-painted squares, giving a pixelated appearance. Lindon’s microscopic version is mounted on to the hat of the central character, Captain Frans Banning.

Lindon has been a micro sculptor since 2018 and is now one of the world's best-known artists in this field. He has created hundreds of tiny artworks including sculptures of animals, buildings, vehicles and characters, as well as several recreations of famous paintings like this.

He also has claimed the record for the smallest handmade sculpture overall: a recreation of a red one-spot 1x1 LEGO brick that is just 0.02517 x 0.02184 mm - about the size of a white blood cell! - as confirmed on 1 August 2024.

In order to make his tiny creations, Lindon – who trained in the military as a precision instrument engineer – has developed a carefully calibrated process, including only working mainly at night (with no vibrations outside from passing traffic), bespoke tiny tools and even regulating his breathing and heartbeat to keep his hand as steady as possible when working on his sculptures under a powerful microscope.