Montana Tech team helps bring historic sculpture back to life through 3D printing

A collaborative effort by Montana Technological University, Montana State University College of Art and Architecture and the Smithsonian American Art Museum is bringing a 3D-printed replica of a groundbreaking 19th-century sculpture, once nearly lost to history, to the Museum of the Rockies. Created in 1876 by Edmonia Lewis, one of the first Black and Native American women to achieve international recognition as a sculptor, The Death of Cleopatra depicts the Egyptian queen in the moments after her death. The monumental marble sculpture, weighing approximately three tons, was first exhibited at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, where its dramatic portrayal of Cleopatra drew…