July 9, 2015 | By Simon
Published in two volumes during the early 1600s and considered to be one of the most widely-read works of literature ever created, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha - which is oftentimes referred to as just ‘Don Quixote’ - is celebrating its 400th Anniversary this year.
In addition to being one of the most widely translated books of all time, Don Quixote is also considered to be one of the most influential books of all time - with many classic authors ranging from Alexandre Dumas to Mark Twain claiming it as being inspirational for their own classic works.
In celebration of the 400th Anniversary of this classic piece of literature, Egyptian design engineer Mahmoud Al-Swedy of Oyma3D digitally sculpted a 3D model of the famous Spanish knight’s beloved horse, ‘Rocinante’ over the past nine months. The result is not merely just a 3D printed horse but rather, a complicated geometric structure that looks on-par with Joshua Harker’s infamous 3D printed skull, Crania Anatomica Filigre.
“This is my homage to Don Quixote. I have been profoundly influenced by this deeply amusing and truly compelling book and wanted to create something that reflects my admiration,” says Al-Swedy.
“It took me quite a while to decide what is the best way to honor a gentleman like Don Quixote de la Mancha, until I figured out that giving him the horse of his dreams is the best gift we could ever give him. Particularly, if the horse design is very complex to the extent that it can be made only by professional 3D printers.”
In celebration of the 400th Anniversary, Al-Swedy is selling the 400 3D printed replicas of the Rocinante model and various other products inspired by its final appearance ranging from prints to t-shirts through an Indiegogo campaign.
According to Al-Swedy, Rocinante came together through the collective efforts of artists and vendors from Egypt, Spain, Holland and the USA; while the design sketching was done in Egypt, the 3D modeling and bronze casting was completed in Spain and the final 3D printing prototyping was done in Holland. The final orders will be shipped to the USA for 3D printing. He compares this global network of partners for the project to the influence that the book has had around the globe.
“It's no surprise that a book globally revered would have a team from across the world working together in its celebration.”
With all of the design and prototyping for the final Rocinante design completed, the final stage of the 400th Anniversary project is to sell the models. For the crowdfunding campaign, Al-Swedy is selling each of the 400 3D printed statues starting at $199 with an included certificate of authenticity. All statues are the same size at 4.71" x 8.15" x 9.30" while a larger bronze edition of the Rocinante statue is also available to the most loyal Don Quixote fans for $5,000.
“Don Quixote's horse "Rocinante" was not just an ordinary horse, but he was to him the resemblance of the super horse that a heroic knight like Don Quixote can rely upon in his legendary battles like when he fought the giants (such as the famous fight with the windmills),” adds Al-Swedy.
“A horse like no other, this is how I wanted this sculpture to be, an intricate and unique piece that suits a magnificent knight like Don Quixote.”
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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