14 / 17Artwork 14 of 17Virtual exhibition
Swallow Family
Mykola Syadristy1990
Two swallows fly above the nest while the chicks wait for them. The nest is a halved poppy seed, and the family is made of gold.
A halved poppy seed, just over 1 mm
What to look for under the microscope
In numbers
- BaseA halved poppy seed, just over 1 mm
- FiguresGold, 2 adult swallows and the chicks
- 1990Year created
The story
The swallow is a symbol of spring, homecoming and a safe home. The scene captures a family moment: the parents arrive to feed their young, and the chicks wait for them on the rim of the nest. The work celebrates the miracle of life's birth and continuity.
How it was made
He shaped the adult birds and the chicks separately in gold, then placed them one by one on the tiny surface of the poppy seed. The wings and forked tails of the flying swallows are especially thin, fragile details.
Did you know?
Some swallow species carry around a thousand beakfuls of mud to build a single nest. Here the nest did not have to be built: its wall is formed by the natural, honeycomb-like pattern of the poppy seed's shell.
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