The mystery of medieval micro-fabrication vs. ultra high resolution synchrotron CT
Theme: Medical Visualisation
People: Dr. Joris Dik, Ir. Jorik Blaas, Dr. Charl P. Botha (TUD), Ir. Frits H. Post
Description
One the most fascinating objects in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is an early 15th century prayer bead or gebedsnoot. The bead consists of two hemispheres connected with a hinge. The interior of the bead presents two scenes from the life of Christ in wood carving. The miniature relief shows an unmatched craftsmanship with carving details well beyond the submillimeter scale. How was this piece of art constructed?
This burning question has urged the curatorial department of the Rijkmuseum to carry out computer X-ray tomography scans (CT). These were done at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble) with cutting-edge sychrotron-based tomography. The results are now being processed by the cooperating Structure & Change in Materials and Data Visualisation groups at the TU Delft. The main challenges are:
- The sheer size of the data requires new data structures and special data handling algorithms.
- Processing and segmentation techniques have to be developed to further investigate the internal structure of the bead and to yield usable 3-D models, both for rapid prototyping and visualisation.
- Interactive visualisations have to be designed.
Eventually, it is the aim to produce detailed visualisations of the bead, including the different components and their assembly. This will then be used for rapid-prototype printing of an upscaled model. Both the digital and physical models will be used by the museum in the dissemination of this small-scale piece of art to a larger, museum audience. Plans are underway for a specialized exhibition.
More information
If you are interested in the possibilities of doing your M.Sc. project as part of this research or you would just like more information, please contact Dr. Joris Dik at <j.dik -AT- tudelft.nl>.