MICROSCOPIC MASTERPIECES

As a boy he made fantasy homes for ants – now Willard is famed for sculptures so tiny they fit inside the eye of a needle

- DAN COLES

DYNAMITE comes in small packages, the saying goes – and in this case, the dynamite is pure miniature magic.

Sculptures tiny enough to fit in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin feature everything from Alice in Wonderland and Albert Einstein to Christ the Redeemer and even the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – although you’ll need a magnifying glass to zoom in on the finer details.

These microscopic slivers of sculpting genius are the work of Willard Wigan (62), an artist from Wednesfield, England, who’s been creating his minute masterpieces for 50 years.

Willard has been honoured by Queen Elizabeth for his services to art and twice been honoured by Guinness World Records and is regarded as one of the finest micro sculptor in the world.

And it’s easy to see why: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs balance perfectly in the eye of a needle, Homer Simpson gets to grips with Bart on the head of a pin, Elvis does his thing on another pinhead and the Hulk effortlessly breaks apart a needle.