Art and Culture

This minuscule handbag sold for $63,000. Here's why.

The handbag measures in at less than 0.03 inches wide and was sold at an online action on Wednesday.

Close up picture of microscope in the laboratory
Getty

Imagine spending more than $63,000 for an object that's barely visible to the human eye.

A Brooklyn-based art group called MSCHF sold its "Microscopic Handbag," which measures in at 657-by-2220-by-700 microns (or less than 0.03 inches wide), at an online auction on Wednesday.

The fluorescent yellowish-green bag is inspired by a popular Louis Vuitton design and has the detail of Louis Vuitton's signature "LV" monogram when enlarged. The piece of art was sold with a microscope.

MSCHF claims that the handbag is "smaller than a grain of sea salt and narrow enough to pass through the eye of a needle."

The artwork is made using two-photon polymerization printing techniques, according to Joopiter, a digital-first auction house founded by musician, record producer and designer Pharrell Williams.

Contact Us